In June 2021, we published the Guide for the Dialogue Working Group between Workers’ and Company Representatives (available in Spanish), as a support document for both companies and workers in order to facilitate the effective implementation of the right of association in the fruit and vegetable Spanish sector and to promote the performance, effectiveness and use of works councils through an initial analysis of premises such as the lack of general interest or ignorance about the process.
This guide is intended for both company personnel (managers, human resources managers, production, etc.) and workers with a common interest, that of deepening and better understanding the dialogue process. In it, we elaborate and explain basic concepts of the right of association, as well as international reference frameworks and customer expectations.
An important part of the effective implementation of the right of association is the recognition of the position in which your company is located. In this guide we take a series of simple steps to recognize where your company is located and what steps must be taken to evolve to an effective and efficient representation, in different stages. We provide a series of practical aspects, as well as communication and conflict management strategies.
We also offer a series of positive experiences for both companies and workers, as well as two practical cases in companies in the sector that have benefited greatly from having an established social dialogue process.
Through polls and surveys with the participants of the Ethical Trade Forums, we know that the dialogue process is not implemented efficiently in companies, and that also “not everyone is good”, there is mistrust in the dialogue process because of part of the company and the workers and the need for training and practical cases to promote this process.
The intention of this guide is to present the dialogue process in simple terms, using examples and practical cases that make it closer and make known and its benefits to the reader. We try to demystify the dialogue process through a series of simple steps so that every company can reflect on it and discuss the next necessary steps.
This guide will be in the process of public consultation until December 2021. As part of the pilot project, we intend to create a face-to-face workshop / seminar that will be given to companies that want to better understand this process and promote it among their staff. If you are interested in participating, please contact us (sergio.barbera@conexionsocial.com).