On December 16, 2019, at 09.30 hours, Labour Minister M.R. Chatumongol Sonakul chaired the opening speech for the 10th ASEAN Regional Tripartite Social Dialogue Conference (ARTSDC) at the Avani Atrium Hotel, Bangkok. He said that this tripartite meeting is essential as a confirmation of good relations throughout the 30 years between senior ASEAN workers, the ASEAN Services Employees Trade Union Council (ASETUC), the ASEAN Secretariat, and the FES. The ARTSDC has evolved since the first meeting in 2009. Previously, the conference had limited participants relevant to labour issues, whereas today, the ARTSDC has received cooperation and participation from international organizations too.
M.R. Chatumongol Sonakul further said that with the trend of technological change, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), and skills development, workers are faced with new needs and changes. For the said reason ASEAN member countries agreed to this Tripartite Conference with the following key agenda: strengthening social partnerships and fusion of fair and balanced transition into the future of work as a tool for confirmation on the tripartite contribution, which will help promote good change and shape the future direction of our desired work.
There is also a chance that workers adaptability will have the opportunity to benefit from the change. For fragile workers, they tend to be left behind, whereby ASEAN cannot allow us to be left behind as it has an important mechanism to support the future of the work already, one of which is a social partner.
The conference is an excellent opportunity for participants to build connections to ensure a fair transition by fulfilling the need to develop skills and harmonize the demand and share common objectives, to join forces to create a real and equitable change.
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Division of Public Relations/
Photos by Sompob Silbut/
16 December 2019
