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Media Advisory

New report on industrial relations and convergence in Europe to be presented at a joint ILO-EU Conference in Paris

Media advisory | 15 May 2018
PARIS (ILO News) – The International Labour Organization (ILO) will present an overview of the report What effects of industrial relations on convergence in Europe? at an international conference to be held in Paris on 17-18 May.

The study especially highlights four ways in which industrial relations seem to have contributed to national convergence stories:
  • National social dialogue is found to have contributed to convergence. The negotiation and signature of national tripartite pacts have contributed to maintaining social peace while adjusting labour market conditions to the macroeconomic context.
  • Collective agreements can also be an engine of convergence. They have created a favourable institutional environment for the emergence of negotiated compromises aimed at balancing flexibility and security in the labour market.
  • Industrial relations are found to play a role in mitigating the effects of a crisis, especially to limit employment cuts.
  • Industrial relations increasingly help in tackling new issues and challenges that are relevant for convergence, in very different areas such as migration, outsourcing, new forms of contracts and jobs.
More details can be found in the Executive summary.

The presentation by the ILO’s senior economist Daniel Vaughan-Whitehead will take place during an international conference entitled Industrial relations in Europe: Fostering equality at work and cross-country convergence? co-organized with the European Commission, together with the French Ministry of Labour, Employment and Health. It will be held in the Laroque amphithéâtre, at the French Ministry of Labour, bringing together officials from the European commission, the ILO as well as Labour ministers from 13 European countries.

The aim of the conference is to provide insights into economic and social convergence trends in the European Union and to better identify the possible contributions of industrial relations to such trends.

Journalists who are interested in attending the Conference should register in advance by contacting EC-ILOCONF2018@ilo.org or call Ms Claire Piper (Tel: +4179/175-2203). Those who cannot attend but who are interested in the report or who would like to talk to Daniel Vaughan-Whitehead can contact: newsroom@ilo.org.