ILO fosters South-South collaboration to advance digital case management for labour disputes

Nearly 40 representatives of the labour disputes management bodies from 15 countries across South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Southern Africa gathered in Bangkok, Thailand, for a three-day South-South and Triangular Cooperation Workshop from 25–27 February 2025 to brainstorm jointly on upgrading access to labour justice mechanisms.

DHAKA (ILO News) - Organized under the ILO’s Advancing Decent Work in Bangladesh project, funded by the Team Europe Initiative, in collaboration with ILO’s Social Dialogue, Labour Relations and Governance of Work from Headquarter, this workshop provided a collaborative platform to exchange experiences, tackle common challenges, and develop customized work plans for advancing digital case management systems in labour dispute resolution.

This collaborative initiative was designed to address the commonly identified key challenge through ILO’s labour dispute resolution self-assessment diagnostic tool, which is the lack of digital case management systems in many countries causing delays access to justice for workers and employers alike. By bringing together experts, and stakeholders, the event facilitated the development of a prototype digital case management system tailored to the needs of dispute prevention and resolution bodies.As one of the key organizers, ILO Bangladesh shared the significance of the collaborative platform to exchange experiences and tackle common challenges

Sharing best practices and developing customized workplans 

During the workshop, participants learned from global best practices, with case studies presented from Australia, the Philippines, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Country teams then collaborated to design customized work plans for developing and implementing digital case management systems in their respective national contexts.

A key takeaway from the discussions was the critical role of employers and trade unions in shaping and implementing these systems to ensure that labour dispute resolution mechanisms are efficient, effective, and fair.

Interactive sessions in the workshop created collaboration and learning spaces for the participants

Dr. Abul Hasanat, Deputy Secretary at the Ministry of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs of Bangladesh, highlighted the urgency of digitization in the country’s labour courts, stating:

“Bangladesh has a backlog of cases in its labour courts. The interim government is prioritizing digitization across sectors, and a digital case management system will help manage this backlog efficiently, ensuring the rights of both employers and workers while reinforcing the rule of law in the labour sector.”

The Bangladesh delegation ardently worked to develop a customize workplan for the country

Strengthening commitments to justice and digital transformation

Facilitated through interactive sessions by ITC-ILO, the workshop underscored the ILO and its development partners’ commitment to supporting stakeholders in their journey toward modernizing labour dispute resolution systems. By fostering cross-regional collaboration, the initiative aims to enhance access to labour justice and the rule of law and promote sustainable, rights-based labour governance across participating countries.