WEC & IOE take their collaboration to the next level to amplify the business voice

When it comes to international labour discussions, there are three main types of stakeholders involved: governments, trade unions and employers. And they each need to speak with a unified voice. Since it started engaging into international labour fora decades ago, the World Employment Confederation (WEC) has always worked closely with other organisations representing employers to ensure alignment. In this context, one of our privileged partners has been the International Organisation of Employers (IOE).

Building upon the success of previous joint initiatives around diverse forms of employment in the platform economy and Covid-19 job recovery efforts, WEC and the IOE decided to take their partnership to the next level. WEC has been endorsed by the IOE members as a “Partner Organisation”, providing a more formal status to the partnership. This reinforced collaboration marks a significant step towards fostering the two organisations’ shared commitment to addressing crucial employment and industrial relations issues on a global scale.

IOE Secretary-General Roberto Suarez Santos expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, “Together, IOE and WEC will synergise our resources, fostering a global awareness of employers’ concerns and innovative solutions to address frontline industrial relations issues.”

WEC Managing Director Denis Pennel underlined the added value that this stronger collaboration will bring to WEC members and the broader employers’ community, saying, “Our strengthened partnership will allow amplifying the employers’ voice on key policy dossiers such as the need for diverse forms of work, AI, skilling and reskilling, resulting in  more impactful advocacy.”

With this new formalized partnership, WEC and the IOE aim at aligning and amplifying shared interest in the following key areas:

• Enhancing alignment and coherence: By improving alignment between WEC and IOE positions, the partnership seeks to create a more unified voice on topics of significance for the broader employer community. This collaboration ensures a coherent stance on industrial relations matters, strengthening impact.
• Knowledge-based reinforcement: The partnership is dedicated to strengthening the knowledge base of both IOE and WEC through collaborative efforts in surveys, research, and peer learning. This shared knowledge will empower both organisations to navigate the evolving landscape of the world of work more effectively.
• Joint advocacy: IOE and WEC will engage in specific joint advocacy work in international forums and organisations, advocating for policies that support the interests of employers globally.
• Amplifying the business voice: Together, IOE and WEC will strengthen the business voice by jointly reaching out to our respective audiences on issues of shared concern. This collective effort ensures a more robust representation of the business and employer community on the international stage.

This collaboration builds on past successes, such as the contribution to the IOE industrial relations newsletter, speaking invitations to respective conferences, publication of  joint policy reviews on Covid-19 job recovery efforts and a joint report on diverse forms of employment in the platform economy.