WILLEMSTAD - As part of the recent government “national dialogue” relates to AOV,  there was no evidence that this important topic was discussed with stakeholders. Such important matters must be discussed in an inclusive and transparent manner.  In a democracy such important decisions are rooted in accepted standards.  Such things as participation,  stakeholder ownership, and neutral facilitation are examples of standards for inclusivity. 

The term “social dialogue” or “national dialogue” reflects the constitutional principle of tripartism of the ILO (International Labor Organization). “Social dialogue” entails a “three-way interaction between government, employers’ organizations and workers’ representatives and NGO’s in formulating or implementing labor, social or economic policy.   

The purposes of tripartism are: to bring together sectors and government to determine new ways to communicate and develop a commitment to work together; to create open and transparent communication; to improve social dialogue; to build mutual trust; to commit to a set of core values and norms of behavior; and to engage in global best practices for improving productivity and global competitiveness. 

Countries around the world adopt the ILO model in order to have an inclusive, trusting and value-based way of discussing economic and social policies. 

It begins with a Protocol or agreement based in the ILO principles.  Then “Social Partners” are appointed by their representative organizations and believe that their association in this endeavor should be characterized by a joint approach to the formation of policies to solve problems and manage the process of change and social and economic development.  Such policies should be supported by scientific data and tracked over time with comparative data with other countries. 

These individuals, known as social partners,  have the responsibility to act as the conduit and communicators to and from their sector organization creating a reciprocal process and representative viewpoints.  Strategic alliances with various representatives of the community strengthen the social dialogue process. The group establishes a regular meeting pattern (at least monthly)  with a constructed agenda and relies on data to drive its discussions and decision making while using a consensus model. 

The tripartite protocol serves as a means for countries to confront the challenges of global economic development and the demands, and to collectively improve the competitiveness of their economies. 

This structured national dialogue is a valuable tool to sustain a participatory democracy.   The recent form of “national dialogue’ utilized to discuss AOV is not “dialogue, erodes trust, and negatively impacts legitimacy.