Conference on tripartism

EU Presidency Conference on Tripartism in an enlarged European Union

Co-organised by the Danish Ministry of Employment and the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions

Hotel Comwell, Elsinore, Denmark

29-30 October 2002

• Introduction

• Background

• Programme

• Venue & contact details

See also conference information from the Danish Ministry of Employment.

Speech abstract - Daniel Vaughan-Whitehead

European Commission

Tripartism: How to make it work better in candidate countri

The weaknesses of tripartite consultations in candidate countries - but also in some EU Member States - help to highlight some of the basic conditions that seem to be unavoidable for the tripartite process to work effectively. These requirements do not only point to the role of social partners in national consultations, but to other more general issues such as their respective representativeness, and their structures and action in bi-partite social dialogue.

These are some of the identified conditions:

1. A necessary "good" social climate:

   • Good willingness from the three sides (Government, employer and trade union representatives);

   • Specific role of the State to engage in tripartite consultations and support/respect social partners' involvement;

   • Independence of social partners -and their positions- from "political' interferences.

2. Necessary legal/institutional frame:

   • By providing a sound and permanent basis, a legal frame could facilitate the smooth functioning of tripartite bodies (legislation on social partners' right to associate, criteria for representativeness, etc).

   • Similarly, the institutional existence of tripartite bodies can contribute to give them a larger place within the policy arena.

3. The development of tripartism as a "governance tool":

   • nclude more systematically tripartite consultations and their outcome within the economic and social decision-making process (in terms of planning of policy decisions);

   • Determination of the three sides to reach concrete outcomes (social pacts, agreements on specific policy issues such as minimum wage etc).

4. The clear delimitation of different types of dialogue:

   • Distinguish and develop in a complementary manner (rather than in substitution to each other) the different existing types of dialogue:

     1. tripartite consultations;

     2. dialogue with civil society;

     3. autonomous social dialogue;

     4. workers' participation and information/consultation, etc.

5. Legitimacy/ representativity of social partners:

   • Ensure that the employer and trade union representatives sitting in tripartite bodies will get the support and the mandate to negotiate from their member organisations and also workers and employers at more decentralised level;

   • Ensure that the national organisations will be able to implement in practice a tripartite decision/agreement.

6. Social dialogue structures:

   • Employer and trade union representatives should have the necessary structures/organisations to carry out social dialogue and collective bargaining at different levels (national, sectoral, regional, enterprise).