The Global Deal has launched a new webinar series that will examine current issues of relevance to partners and the wider public, in the context of social dialogue. Featuring topics dealt with in the Global Deal series of thematic briefs, the webinars provide participants with the opportunity to engage online with leading experts, businesses, trade unions, civil society, governments and other Global Deal partners.
The first webinar in the series, “Managing the Pandemic: Approaches taken by Global Deal partners”, took place on Wednesday 20 May 2020. More than 100 people joined this webinar, which featured as speakers Michael Vassiliadis (President, IG Bergbau, Chemie, Energie), Sylvain Lobry (Social Dialogue Director, Danone), Linda Ingolfsdottir (Strategy Lead – Social Sustainability, H&M Group), Wilbert Flinterman (Senior Advisor Workers’ Rights and Trade Union Relations, Fair Trade International) and was moderated by Veronica Nilsson, Head of Global Deal Support Unit. The speakers highlighted the importance of social dialogue and provided examples from across the globe on how social dialogue has been key in mobilising the system of Kurzarbeit (short-term work) in Germany as well as how social protection is linked to resilient supply chains. Moreover, speakers discussed living wages and sustainability in the garment sector.
As illustrated in the Global Deal thematic brief Social Partnership in the Times of the Covid-19 Pandemic, social dialogue functions as a circuit breaker that prevents an initial negative shock from turning into an even deeper and prolonged recession. The webinar stressed that social dialogue is a key driver for change and success, and should be integrated into all work places. Furthermore, the discussion highlighted some of the measures taken by Global Deal partners to manage the economic and labour market consequences of the pandemic, and participants and speakers discussed possible solutions.
The next Global Deal webinar “Social Dialogue for the Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy” will take place on 3 June 2020 from 15:00 to 16:30 (CET). It will take place via Zoom and advance registration is required via this link. Please contact GlobalDeal@oecd.org with any questions.
Related Documents
