The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprises ten Southeast Asian countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Cross-border social dialogue is conducted in two dedicated forums:
- The ASEAN Forum on Migrant Labour (AFML)
The AFML is an open platform for the review, discussion, and exchange of good practices and ideas between governments, workers’ and employers’ organizations, and civil society organizations on critical issues migrant workers face in South-East Asia and for the development of recommendations to advance the implementation of the principles of the ASEAN Declaration on Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers. The forum provides the opportunity to share stakeholder activities to implement the various Recommendations from AFML meetings. Each year, the AFML is hosted by the chair of the ASEAN, with support from the ASEAN Secretariat and inputs from the ILO, the IOM, UN Women, and the Task Force on ASEAN Migrant Workers. The regional employers’ and workers’ organizations - ASEAN Confederation of Employers (ACE), ASEAN Trade Union Council (ATUC), ASEAN Services Employees Trade Union Council (ASETUC) - take part in this forum.
More information on topics addressed during this Forum’s events is available here[HY1]
- The ASEAN Labour Inspection Conference
The ASEAN Labour Inspection Conference is convened since 2010 and hosted annually by different ASEAN Member States. Its primary mission is to allow the sharing of information, knowledge, and experiences on policies, legislations, good practices, and innovations, as well as challenges and solutions to achieving workplace compliance through labour inspection, generally on working conditions and more specifically on occupational safety and health (OSH).
Representatives of the regional social partners (ACE, ATUC, and ASETUC) participate in this conference along with Labour Inspectorate Focal Points, representatives of labour inspectorates of ASEAN Member States, and other relevant departments of the Ministry of Labour of ASEAN Member States. The ASEAN Labour Inspection Committee (ALICOM) must consider the ASEAN Labour Inspection Conference's recommendations and promote collaboration, supplying technical information and advice to ACE, ATUC, and ASETUC.
Developing bilateral social dialogue
ACE, ATUC, engage in cross-border social dialogue on specific themes, particularly labour migration. In 2016, they held their first bipartite regional dialogue session and agreed on a joint statement which identifies as a joint priority the mutual recognition of skills for medium- and low-skilled workers, social protection for migrant workers, ethical recruitment and the protection of workers throughout the migration cycle. A second meeting held in April 2019 resulted in a joint statement on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers.
Since then, these organizations have held annual meetings. To learn more about these meetings, see here.