CONCILIATION/MEDIATION

OF LABOUR DISPUTES
Code:
Dates:
Duration:
Venue:

A900880
18 22 June 2007
1 week
ITC/ILO, Turin - Italy

BACKGROUND
The rapid advance of globalization and the competition which it has engendered in the global
market-place has forced countries to focus on improving labour relations and enhancing the
prospect of labour peace as an essential dimension of successful economic endeavour. Conflict
management in the workplace has, as a consequence, assumed greater importance.
In response to an evident and growing need for improved labour conflict management skills in
many countries, the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ILO)
developed a training programme on Conciliation/Mediation, aimed at strengthening knowledge
and skills in this field.

OBJECTIVES
The course aims to enhance the skills and competencies of those involved in
conciliation/mediation of labour disputes, with the use of different styles and techniques of
consensus-building to conflict management and dispute resolution.

PARTICIPANTS PROFILE
9 Conciliators/mediators from Ministry of Labour or specialized agencies;
9 Government officials dealing with labour dispute prevention;
9 Trade unions and employers organizations representatives involved in labour dispute
prevention and resolution;
9 Trainers from labour training institutes or government departments dealing with industrial
relations, collective bargaining and/or labour dispute prevention and resolution.

Please note that the ILO promotes equality of opportunities and strongly encourages women's
applications.
CONTENTS
The course will include the following topics:
9 an introduction to conciliation/mediation;
9 the negotiation process;
9 outcomes in negotiation;
9 different styles in negotiating;
9 distinguishing positions form needs;
9 the negotiators dilemma;
9 the significance of alternatives to a negotiated agreement;
9 costs and benefits of different styles of negotiating;
9 exploring how to maximize joint value and achieve optimum settlement;
9 the ILO legal framework for social dialogue: ILO conventions and recommendations;
9 the conciliation/mediation process;
9 a conciliation/mediation model;
9 reality testing, brainstorming;
9 negotiation interfaces;
9 the skills conciliators/mediators use: influencing others; effective listening; paraphrasing;
dealing with anger; helping people to save face;
9 ethical considerations for conciliators / mediators.
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METHODOLOGY
The course is designed in accordance with the principles of adult learning; in particular:
9 learning will be self-directed and the trainer will act as a facilitator;
9 the facilitator will encourage the learners to develop responsibility for learning;
9 prior experience and knowledge of learners will be incorporated into the learning process;
9 learning will have immediate application;
9 self-evaluation rather than third-party evaluation of learning will be encouraged;
9 the learning climate will be adult-friendly;
9 it will include role-plays, group work, case studies and quizzes.

LANGUAGE
Participants are expected to communicate fluently in English.

VENUE
The courses will be held at the International Training Centre of the International Labour
Organization (ITC/ILO) located in Turin, Italy. Some courses may include a study tour, as
indicated in the relevant course flyer.
Located in an attractive park on the banks of the Po River, the ITC/ILO campus provides a very
pleasant environment for training. It includes fully equipped modern classrooms and meeting
rooms fitted out for multilingual simultaneous interpretation; computer laboratories; a
documentation centre linked to various international data banks.
The ITC/ILO campus has over 300 bedrooms with private bathroom and equipped with telephone
and cable television.
The following services are available in the campus: reception (open 24 hours a day); restaurant,
cafeteria, bank; travel agency; convenience shop; post office; free access to Internet; gym;
medical service.

PARTICIPATION COSTS
Participation costs (US$ 2,665) for this fully residential programme include:
9 tuition, training-related documentation and use of campus facilities;
9 single-room accommodation, full board, a daily allowance to cover incidentals (12 Euros),
medical insurance and minor medical care at the ITC/ILO Campus.

Please note that travel costs are not included.

Applications to attend the course, which must be supported by the candidate's curriculum vitae
and a nomination letter from the sponsoring/funding institution, should arrive by fax or e-mail,
not later than 18 April 2007.
Social Dialogue Programme
International Training Centre of the ILO
Viale Maestri del Lavoro 10 - 10127 Turin Italy
tel. +39 0116936372/917 fax: +39 0116936350
e-mail: socdial@itcilo.org webpage: www.itcilo.org

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