The pandemic has deeply affected labour markets and economies, with almost 10% of global working hours, or the equivalent of 255 million full-time jobs, lost in 2020. Employment rates in the OECD area are expected to be back to pre-pandemic levels at the end of 2022, while economic and labour market revival in emerging and developing economies has been hampered by a lack of access to vaccines. Looking forward, a key question is how social dialogue can support the process of job creation and how recovery efforts can be directed towards the groups of workers who have been hit the hardest such as female workers, young workers and workers in low-paid jobs and minorities. The panellists will discuss how to respond to these challenges by emphasising the role social dialogue can play in triggering a job-rich and gender-sensitive recovery and shaping a labour market that creates productive and decent jobs for all workers. The session will have interpretation in English, French and Spanish.

This panel will discuss recent innovations in approaches to implementation of European social partners agreements. The panel will draw lessons from the new methods and models of implementation that the social partners have developed to drive the next generation of EU Social Partner Agreements that aim at deepening the effectiveness of the Agreements at workplace level. The session will be moderated by Esther Lynch, and have interpretation in English and French.

This session will focus on the role of social dialogue in ensuring that the benefits of economic recovery following the COVID-19 crisis are broadly shared, and how social dialogue can promote decent work in global supply chains and address challenges related to informal work. The pandemic has brought to light pre-existing flaws in the global labour market, such as the lack of decent jobs and the vulnerability of global supply chains. Local suppliers working to tight cost margins and workers with limited social protection coverage and little or no savings have been more exposed to the impact of COVID-19. How can social dialogue be deployed to shore up resilience to future crises, and what possible measures can be explored to ensure that global supply chains help drive development and contribute to decent work? A panel of experts will discuss potential solutions from different perspectives. The session will have interpretation in English, French and Spanish.

In this session, the Global Deal France platform will present the collective contributions from its actors, including employers; local and regional authorities; trade unions and administration, to contribute to the European and international debates on 4 key topics: 1. Social dialogue in the new context of recovery 2. International/European mobility of apprentices 3. Skills development with the appropriation of an individual right to training 4. Occupational health risk prevention, especially in a context of the importance of the epidemiological risk This session will have interpretation available in English and French.

This session is organised by the Global Deal partner International Trade Centre (ITC). Speakers will discuss the role that social dialogue can play to enhance decent work, address the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, and build back a better and more inclusive labour market. The session will also serve to present the work in progress under a multi-year programme funded by European Union to promote decent work and advance transparency of sustainable value chains in the garment and footwear sector. It will highlight the main lessons learned to date applicable to “building back better” after the COVID-19 pandemic. Practical tools and methodologies will be presented and all interested stakeholders will be invited to join an active debate. This session will have interpretation available in English and French.

In view of several recent initiatives on making due diligence mandatory, this session will delve deeper into the link between due diligence and social dialogue. On the one hand, social dialogue provides business with the opportunity to structurally engage on labour issues with workers and their trade unions, which can then help them identify and address potential adverse impacts, as the experiences of those most affected are taken into account. On the other hand, due diligence can strengthen social dialogue as it requires compliance with two key pillars of social dialogue: the right to organise and the right to bargain collectively. The panellists will discuss the potential of due diligence to advance a global agenda of decent work and inclusive growth. The session will have interpretation in English, French and Spanish.

This session is organised by the International Labour Organization (ILO). The role of social dialogue in developing, implementing and evaluating sound social protection policies and sustainable social protection systems cannot be overstated. The Social Protection Floors Recommendation, 2012 (No. 202) highlights the critical role of social dialogue in formulating and implementing social protection (extension) strategies. Social protection policy measures that are developed through effective social dialogue provide more efficient, balanced and durable solutions, including in periods of crisis such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. A more recent research brief by the ILO has also shed light on important policy outcomes delivered by peak level social dialogue, including in the area of social protection. The session will provide a short overview of the Resolution and Conclusions concerning social protection, and their framework for action, adopted by the International Labour Conference in June 2021. A panel discussion will present the different perspectives of governments and social partners as well as from an international institution. The panellists will discuss the role that social dialogue can play to extend social protection to all and to develop comprehensive, adequate, sustainable and inclusive social protection systems, that can underpin social and economic stability especially in times of crisis. The members of the panel will highlight a number of national experiences drawn from their day-to-day work and practice and explain under which conditions and how social dialogue and tripartite cooperation can work effectively and deliver sustainable outcomes in the area of social protection. Interpretation in English, French and Spanish is available for this session.

Recent OECD evidence has shown that social dialogue is a key instrument to help workers and businesses face the technological transition and ensure an inclusive future of work. Yet, the diffusion of digitisation and AI, as well as the development of new forms of work such as gig work and telework, may pose new questions to social dialogue after the COVID-19 crisis. In this Webinar, experts and stakeholders will explore the impact of new technologies and new forms of work on the world of work, and discuss the contribution of social dialogue in easing workers’ transitions in the labour markets, anticipating skills need and negotiating fair and flexible measures in light of the changes and challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The session will be organised in two parts: the first will flag key opportunities and challenges for workers, businesses and social dialogue in the post COVID-19 world of work, characterised by a rapid diffusion of digital technologies at the workplace and new forms of work, notably telework and gig work. The second part will provide an opportunity to exchange on good practices of social dialogue and collective bargaining in addressing these emerging challenges. The panel will also discuss the role distribution between social partners and public policy in tackling the changes arising from new forms of work.

This session will focus on how social dialogue is used to handle the challenges that arise from the introduction of digitalisation and artificial intelligence in the workplace, and that are being amplified by the pandemic. Labour markets are facing the double disruption of struggling to build back the pre-pandemic number of jobs, while at the same time ensuring a smooth flow of workers into the new types of roles and sectors generated by the structural change brought about by COVID-19. The panel will explore the impact of technological change on the quantity and quality of jobs, and highlight how social dialogue can provide an efficient means to negotiate measures that support workers moving into new, quality jobs, and shape ways in which new digital tools are being introduced in the workplace. The session will have interpretation in English, French and Spanish.