Guidance Paper on Social Dialogue, Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining in the palm oil sector in Indonesia

Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining are trade union rights. They are important pillars of decent work as defined by the ILO and they form the foundation of Social Dialogue and industrial relations to establish fair wages and working conditions, sharing information, consultation and managing conflicts in the workplace. They are covered by two ILO core conventions (87 and 98). Ratifying countries are expected to apply these conventions in national legislation and practice. Besides governments, buyers and producers are also expected to respect these rights within their value chains. International guidelines, including the OECD guidelines for multinational corporations and the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights, have been established to monitor and safeguard these processes. Nevertheless, these standards are amongst the most violated around the world.
Throughout value chains, the palm oil industry being no exception, stakeholders and supply chain actors still find it difficult to understand the value of freedom of association, what the rights really mean for them and how they can play a role in achieving and implementing them.

The guidance is available in English and Bahasa Indonesia.