Lao People's Democratic Republic: Employers' and workers' organizations agree to establish National Bipartite Forum for Social Dialogue and Common Actions
The Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI) and Lao Federation of Trade Unions (LFTU) have agreed to establish a National Bipartite Forum for Regular Social Dialogue and Common Actions that will contribute to Lao People's Democratic Republic’s human centred recovery from COVID-19 and growth efforts.
BANGKOK (ILO News) - Recognising the need for workers and employers to jointly deal with the challenges posed by the global pandemic to Lao People's Democratic Republic, the Lao Federation of Trade Unions (LFTU) and the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI) have agreed to establish a National Bipartite Forum for Social Dialogue and Common Actions.
This is the first time a formal bipartite social dialogue mechanism where LNCCI and LFTU representatives can meet on a regular basis to engage in dialogue has been established in Lao People's Democratic Republic.
The framework agreement was signed on 27 May 2022 in the presence of the Vice Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, H.E. Phongsaysak Inthalath.
Mr Vilay Vongkaserm, Vice President of the LFTU & Dr Xaybandith Rasphone, Vice President of the LNCCI exchange the signed agreement witnessed by Vice Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, H.E. Phongsaysak Inthalath. The Minister welcomed this initiative to institutionalize the national level bipartite dialogue between employers and workers which would help improve the effectiveness of tripartite social dialogue between the government, employers and workers.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Xaybandith Rasphone, Vice President of the LNCCI, said, “The establishment of a bipartite social dialogue mechanism in Lao People's Democratic Republic will pave the way for strengthening labour market institutions which are instrumental in supporting a swift and effective response to the crisis. Effective social dialogue systems and institutions are needed for developing and implementing viable solutions for economic, social and workplace challenges. LNCCI would like to discuss with LFTU imminent issues of recovery and resilience, including OSH measures, measures for creating jobs and building a qualified workforce as well as the expansion of social protection.”
Voicing similar sentiments, Mr Vilay Vongkaserm, Vice President of the LFTU said, ‘’The establishment of a national bipartite forum is a significant step forward to strengthen the culture of dialogue in Lao People's Democratic Republic. It will allow the LFTU and the LNCCI to work together in an institutionalized manner and help build cooperation to deal with contentious issues such as improvements in labour legislation, skills development and the expansion of social protection. This will help improve industrial relations and also contribute towards socio-economic development.
The meeting held in Vientiane 26-27 May 2022 was supported by the International Labour Organization (ILO)/Japan Fund for Building Social Safety Nets in Asia and the Pacific (SSN Fund). It set out to review challenges posed by the pandemic and to discuss bipartite cooperation for common actions for human centred recovery and growth efforts. The meeting also discussed capacity building to help improve labour relations and identified key issues related to labour legislation, skills development and social protection to be raised jointly by LNCCI and LFTU with the Government. ”
A group photo of the meeting participants. The development of the National Bipartite Forum has been supported by worker, employer and social dialogue specialists from ILO who are working to strengthen relations between the LNCCI and the LFTU at enterprise and national levels through regular social dialogue.
Welcoming the development, Mr Graeme Buckley, ILO Country Director for Thailand, Cambodia and Lao People's Democratic Republic said, ‘’Recovery and growth in this time of pandemic requires social dialogue and cooperation. There is a need for shared understanding of the challenges facing the Lao economy, businesses and workers alike. ILO welcomes this initiative by LNCCI and LFTU to formalise bipartite social dialogue which will help them to work together for business sustainability and decent work for all.‘’
Further follow up on tripartite social dialogue is planned under the aegis of the National Labour Committee (NLC), the apex level tripartite body announced last year. The first meeting of the NLC is expected to be organized in June 2022.
For further information please contact:
Dong Eung Lee Senior Specialist, Employers Activities Email: leed@ilo.org
