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Sustaining businesses requires employers and trade unions to work in partnership at the enterprise level, and social partnership at national level. Meaningful social partnership industrial relations must be based on co-operative and harmonious labour management relations. This is crucial in building up productivity and competitiveness of a country in a global economy. That is why enlightened employers look at their partnership with the employees and their trade unions as a long‐term proposition and keep relations with their unions stable and mature.



UNI affiliates in Thailand are keen to develop partnership relations with employers. This sentiment was commended by Ms. Naruimol Tandumand, Advisor to Thailand Minister of Labour, in her inaugural address to the first Tripartite Conference on Partnership Industrial Relations held in Bangkok on 21 August 2012. She reminded participants of the importance of harmonious industrial relations for sustainable business and decent employment, and emphasised the critical need for employers and trade unions to work in partnership to confront challenges and overcome problems.



Tandumand praised initiatives taken by UNI Apro and is pleased that the Ministry of Labour is a joint organiser with UNI Apro on such conference that is of critical importance for sustainable growth of Thailand in a global economy.



Jointly organised by the Thailand Ministry of Labour and UNI Apro, the conference was attended by 88 participants representing trade unions and management of AMCOR, FBFT, Kimberly Clark, KC, MCOT, G4S, SEWUCAT, SEWU-THP, TOT and Tesco Lotus and MOL officials from the provincial labour protection offices and Social Security Office.



To facilitate discussions, the UNI Apro have invited a number of resource persons who have highlighted existing good practices in partnership industrial relations and shared the experiences of their organisations in their endeavour to achieve ideal policies and practical strategies.



They include Mr. Artit Istmoo, the General Director of Labour Protection and Social Welfare Department, Mr Sompop Thankaew, Director of Labour Relations, Mr Ugkit Kanchanket, Adviser to Employers Confederation of Thailand (ECOT) and Prof Lae Delokvittayarat of the Economic and Political Faculty, Chulalongkorn University who spoke extensively on the other critical component of a competitive and sustainable economy, namely the development of human capital.



The UNI Apro Regional Secretary, Christopher Ng, Alice Chang, Director of UNI Apro Commerce, Mr. John Hannet, General Secretary of USDAW UK and Mr Rusdi Salam, President of the Hero Workers’ Unions represented UNI Apro from Indonesia.

John Hannet, General Secretary of USDAW - the largest retail sector trade union in United Kingdom spoke about USDAW partnership with Tesco - one of the largest retailers in the world. Hannet was instrumental in facilitating the evolution of an acrimonious labour management relation at Tesco Lotus here in Thailand to that of a stable labour management relation.



Rusdi Salam, the President of Hero Supermarket Trade Union Indonesia, shared with participants how the management and union at Hero Supermarket Indonesia work in partnership to confront challenges facing Hero Supermarket, highlighting benefits of the partnership to the shareholders, management and the employees.



Christopher Ng pointed out that no industry today could survive if it cannot provide competitive products and services in a globalized market at home and overseas. However, such competitiveness cannot be realized if there is no program of continuing productivity that enjoys the support of the trade unions and their employees. Furthermore, no productivity and competitiveness program will work if the employees do not enjoy decent working and employment conditions and their rights are not fully recognized. Of course, for the formula of decent work, productivity and competitiveness to take off, both parties must be able to sit down and hold serious and honest dialogue in the spirit of true and genuine social partnership.



For the sake of a progressive and sustainable industrial economy and employment, such relationship can and should be transformed – on the basis of mutual trust bred by goodwill to one another and understanding and accommodation of each others' interests as well as the promotion of each other's' welfare.



Thus, to overcome the tradition of industrial discord and hostility and build a new productive win-win relationship, both parties, namely the employers and trade unions must recognize that social partnering can only be effective if both parties subscribed fully to the following fundamentals in a progressive industrial relations system, namely --



Recognition by each party (trade union and management) of the basic rights and interests of the each other under the Constitution, laws of the land and internationally-accepted United Nations and ILO conventions;

• Identification of areas where the interests of both converge and diverge, promotion of efforts to accommodate each party’s interests to the maximum possible and resolution of conflicts in a harmonious win-win fashion; and
• Development of appropriate confidence- and capacity-building mechanisms and a nurturing environment supportive of the foregoing principles and processes.

On this basis, employers must recognize that basic workers’ rights include the following:



 right to work and to better qualifications for work,

 right to organize, to bargain collectively and engage in concerted activity,

 right to a redress of just grievances and to due process under the law,

 right to enjoy wages, benefits and work conditions mandated by law and/or negotiated under the CBA,

 right to a secure and healthy work environment, and social protection for all, and

 right to equal opportunity and non-discrimination at work.



On the other hand, trade unions must recognize that basic employers’ rights include the following:



 Right to freely choose the business they want to invest in, including the right to close shop,

 Right to just returns on investments, and

 Right to manage business freely in accordance with the exigencies of the market, including the inherent right to manage work and work processes and to discipline employees subject only to the limitations imposed by law, CBA and fair play.



UNI Apro is committed to the concept of partnership industrial relations and we will continue to provide support to our affiliates, including those in Thailand, as we have been doing so in partnership with trade unions and employers of various establishments in various countries such as the Hero Supermarket in Indonesia and Tesco Lotus in Thailand.





Naruimol Tandumand, Advisor to Thailand Minister of Labour, Christopher Ng,

Mr Sompop, Director for Labour Relations Thailand, John Hannet, General Secretary of USDAW UK





UNI Apro delegates with Mr Ugkit Kanchanket, Adviser to Employers Confederation of Thailand





Participants at the first Tripartite Conference on Partnership Industrial Relations held in Bangkok