Economic, Social and Labor Commission launches regional social dialogue support team

South Korea's Economic, Social and Labor Commission has launched a regional social dialogue support team to help resolve local labor-management issues and promote social dialogue tailored to each region's distinct industrial structure and employment conditions, with a mandate to connect those efforts to central government policy.

The commission held a launch ceremony and advisory meeting for the team Wednesday at its main conference room in Seoul. The team comprises 14 experts, including academics specializing in regional labor relations, employment and industrial policy, as well as field practitioners from regional labor-management-civil-government councils. Members received their appointment certificates at the ceremony.

The team will support four areas of work: identifying agenda items for regional social dialogue, designing and operating dialogue structures including participant selection and meeting formats, facilitating consultations and consensus-building among stakeholders, and developing ways to link regional dialogue agendas with those at the national level.

The commission said it plans to work with existing regional governance bodies to identify areas where social dialogue is needed, and to coordinate with government-supported projects to build successful models of regional social dialogue.

"Because each region has its own industrial structure, employment conditions and labor-management characteristics, national government policy and region-specific approaches must work in harmony," commission Chairman Kim Ji-hyung said. "I ask the support team to listen closely to the voices of local stakeholders and to serve as a reliable partner — designing and connecting the dialogue process so that labor, management, civil society and local governments can find their own solutions."

Going forward, the commission plans to strengthen a multilayered social dialogue framework linking the national level, regions and industries through joint workshops and regular meetings with the support team, as well as regional forums and a national conference to share and spread successful cases.