Promoting social dialogue between the government, employers’ organisations and workers’ associations (completed)
Project description
Title: Alliance for Economic Development and Employment (Social Dialogue)
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Tunisia
Lead executing agency: Ministry of Social Affairs of Tunisia
Overall term: 2017 to 2021
Context
Unemployment in Tunisia is consistently high. The government is under enormous pressure to create prospects for work and employment. Further deterioration of the socio-economic situation could affect the stability of the country.
The national council for social dialogue (CNDS) was set up in 2018 to facilitate exchange between the government, employers and employees. It is a major result of the social agreement concluded in 2013. CNDS is instrumental to Tunisia’s socio-economic stabilisation.
Objective
Tunisia makes better use of the potential of social dialogue to promote employment.
Approach
The project is being implemented in cooperation with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and the German Chambers of Commerce Abroad. It supports social dialogue in Tunisia relating to employability, transitioning to the formal sector and unemployment insurance. The implementing partners on the Tunisian side are the Ministry of Social Affairs, the trade union federation UGTT and the employers’ organisation UTICA. Representatives of the German social partners are also involved through the multi-actor partnership.
The project boosts the ability of UTICA and UGTT to develop employment policy solutions together. It also advises government representatives on how to involve social partners in employment policy issues. To this end, the project supports the social partners in the area of public relations and in implementing arrangements reached. It draws on experience from German development cooperation, such as the Bündnis für Arbeit and free collective bargaining. Selected issues will be included in a follow-on project to ensure the continuity of the efforts to date.
Last update: November 2021