Ensuring adequate working conditions is crucial for our well-being and that of our families. Social dialogue – which includes negotiations and consultations among labour market actors, collective bargaining and dispute prevention and resolution – helps promote adequate working conditions, peace, and social justice. Successful social dialogue can resolve economic and social issues and effectively address economic crises, impacting stability, labour market governance, and the economy.

Unions are independent workers’ organizations constituted for the purpose of furthering and defending the interests of workers. As such, they play a key role in the quest to achieve better remuneration and working conditions. Similarly, the scope, coverage and frequency of collective bargaining, the items negotiated and the outcome of negotiations have a great impact on workers’ conditions. Meanwhile, grievances and conflicts are an inevitable part of the employment relationship. The objective of public policy is to manage conflict and promote sound labour relations by creating a system for the effective prevention and settlement of labour disputes. The number, frequency, duration and scope of strikes and lockouts all have a great impact on the labour market, the economy and workers’ well-being. 

To assess the extent of social dialogue, reliable data on unions and unionization, employers’ organizations, collective bargaining and industrial disputes is essential. This page presents statistics and other information on these topics.