Social dialogue

Social dialogue is a process to define and converge positions, reach mutual agreement and take coordinated decisions by the parties to the social dialogue that represent the interests of employees, employers, and bodies of executive power and local self-government, regarding the formation and implementation of the state social and economic policy and regulation of social and labour relations.
Social dialogue is carried out on the following principles: legality; representativeness and legal power of the parties and their representatives; the parties’ independence and equality; constructiveness and interaction; voluntary participation and assumption of real commitments; mutual respect and finding middle-ground solutions; mandatory consideration of the parties' proposals; priority status of conciliation procedures; openness and publicity; mandatory compliance with the agreements reached; responsibility for the fulfilment of commitments.
Social dialogue is carried out at the national, territorial and local (enterprise, institution, organization, transnational corporation) levels, on a tripartite or bilateral basis.
Social dialogue is carried out between the parties to the social dialogue of the respective level in the following forms: information exchange; consultations; conciliation procedures; collective bargaining to conclude collective agreements and contracts.

Parties to social dialogue
National level
• The employers’ party that includes all-Ukrainian associations of employers 'organizations and their associations that operate in economic activities of more than one type, and within a certain type of economic activity - associations of employers' organizations established by their sectoral affiliation that have the all-Ukrainian status.
• The bodies of executive power party, which include the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and/or central bodies of executive power.
• The trade union party, which includes all-Ukrainian associations of trade unions, and within a certain type of economic activity - all-Ukrainian trade unions, established on a sectoral basis.


Territorial level
• The employers’ party, which includes employers' organizations and their associations that operate in the territory of the respective administrative-territorial unit.
• The party of bodies of executive power, which includes local bodies of executive power that operate in the territory of the respective administrative-territorial unit.
• The trade union party, which includes trade unions of the respective level and trade union organizations and their associations that operate in the territory of the respective administrative-territorial unit.
In the territory of the respective administrative-territorial unit, the party of social dialogue may include bodies of self-government within the powers defined by the legislation;
Local level
• The party of employees, which includes the primary trade union organizations, and in their absence - freely elected representative(s) of employees.
• The party of the employer, which includes the employer and/or the authorized representatives of the employer.