The tripartite Global Dialogue Forum on 'the adaptability of companies to deal with fluctuating demands and the incidence of temporary and other forms of employment in electronics' took place in Geneva on 9-11 December 2014.

The tripartite Global Dialogue Forum on 'the adaptability of companies to deal with fluctuating demands and the incidence of temporary and other forms of employment in electronics' took place in Geneva on 9-11 December 2014.

The purpose of this forum was to assess the reasons for companies to choose temporary forms of employment, as well as the impact of these forms of employment on the enterprise and the workers.  To eventually come to agreement on points of consensus on the third day including recommendations for the ILO, governments, employers and worker organisations.

GoodElectronics was present on the Forum as observer. The Worker’s group was well prepared and effectively represented Asian production countries where the negative effects of temporary (agency) labour seriously disadvantage the workers.[1] The Employer group, however, consisted mainly of European industry organisations,[2] leaving the program Director of the EICC with the responsibility to represent the absent brands, the absent contract manufacturers and the absent component suppliers.

The overall outcome however is satisfactorily for the Workers group. Important consensus points for the workers are:

  • That measures aimed to deal with the fluctuation in demand should strive to balance industry concerns and worker’s needs; “Social dialogue, which includes collective bargaining, is paramount to promoting decent work and to develop and implement sustainable measures supported by employers as well as workers.”
  • That measures aimed to deal with the fluctuation in demand should also include alternative options than temporary forms of employment and that these options may be identified through social dialogue.
  • That where possible, long-lasting employment relationships are to be promoted.

In the end, it is give and take. The points of consensus present a much more nuanced picture than the industry aimed for. Not in the least thanks to the good input of the Worker group and the work of IndustriALL Global Union. 

Please find the full report in the attachment.

[1] Malaysia, Philippines, India, Brazil, Indonesia and Japan.

[2] Portugal, Germany, Finland, Jordan, Montenegro and Venezuela.