Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2025, published 114th ILC session (2026)

Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 144) - Latvia (Ratification: 1994)

The Committee notes the observations of the Free Trade Union Confederation of Latvia (FTUCL), transmitted with the Government’s report.

Article 3 of the Convention.Representation on an equal footing. The Committee welcomes the copies provided by the Government of the updated FTUCL Statutes and the Statutes of the Employers’ Confederation of Latvia (LDDK), approved on 3 December 2021 and 8 March 2023, respectively. The Committee further notes the FTUCL’s observations indicating that the Government can invite other actors to National Tripartite Cooperation Council (NTCC) meetings, such as the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry or the Council of Foreign Investors in Latvia. The FTUCL argues that this practice often results in the opinion of one trade union being opposed by three business associations, undermining the principle of parity and proportionality. The FTUCL highlights the need to improve proportional representation in tripartite consultations and ensure that that all business associations have only one voice, which is crucial to guarantee for fair discussions and balanced social dialogue. In this respect, the Committee recalls that Article 3(2) of the Convention provides that “employers and workers shall be represented on an equal footing on any bodies through which consultations are undertaken”. The Committee observes that, according to section 6 of the NTCC regulations, the NTCC shall be composed of an equal number of representatives nominated by the members and each member party shall nominate nine representatives. In light of the concerns expressed by the FTUCL,the Committee requests the Government to provide information on how it is ensured that the participation of observers in the NTCC meetings does not compromise the representation on an equal footing of employers’ and workers’ organizations in the NTCC, as required by Article 3(2) of the Convention.

Article 5. Effective tripartite consultations. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government regarding the tripartite meetings held within the NTCC between the second half of 2021 and 2023. The Government indicates that tripartite consultations were held on: (i) the government responses to questionnaires concerning items on the agenda of the International Labour Conference (Article 5(1)(a)); (ii) the re-examination of unratified Conventions (Article 5(1)(c)); (iii) the reports on the implementation of ratified Conventions to be sent to the Office in accordance with article 22 of the ILO Constitution (Article 5(1)(d)); (iv) proposals for the denunciation of ratified Conventions (Article 5(1)(e)); (v) reports on the implementation of unratified Conventions and recommendations (article 19 of the ILO Constitution); and (vi) the participation of the national delegation to the International Labour Conference. The Government also provides information on tripartite consultations held regarding national labour, employment and social security related matters. The Committee observes, however, that the Government does not indicate whether tripartite consultations were held on the proposals to be made to the Parliament regarding the submission of Conventions and Recommendations (Article 5(1)(b)).

The Committee further notes that, in its observations, the FTUCL emphasizes the need to improve the enforcement and respect for NTCC decisions. In addition, the FTUCL raises concerns about the regularity of NTCC meetings. The FTUCL points out that, according to section 22 of the NTCC Regulations, meetings should be held at least once every two months. However, the FTUCL argues that this frequency was only achieved during 2007–12 and in 2017. The FTUCL claims that, as of August 2024, no meetings had taken place in 2024 despite requests from the social partners, and that they did not receive any response. The FTUCL adds that the NTCC sub-councils did not meet regularly either, with the exception of the Social Security and the Vocational Education and Employment Tripartite Cooperation Sub-Councils.

The Committee notes that, according to information available in the Government’s website, the NTCC held several meetings on 6 and 30 September 2024 after the FTUCL observations were sent. The Committee observes, however, that there is no information on whether international labour standards related matters were discussed during the meetings. The Committee recalls that, in accordance with Article 5(2) of the Convention such tripartite consultations should be held at least once a year. The Committee therefore requests the Government to provide information on: (i) the measures taken to ensure effective and regular tripartite consultations, including within the NTCC, on all the matters relating to international labour standards covered byArticle 5(1) of the Convention; and (ii) the frequency, the content and outcome of such tripartite consultations.