GS Hoffman addresses international labour relations body about new rules for international arbitration 

In late June, UNI Global Union General Secretary Christy Hoffman spoke to the annual Conference of the International Labour and Employment Relations Association (ILERA) about the new rules developed by UNI and IndustriALL Global Union which create a credible and streamlined process for the resolution of international labour disputes through arbitration. 

Called the Rules for International Labour Arbitration and Conciliation (ILAC), the rules were created in the wake of UNI’s arbitration experience relating to the International Accord. 

“We pursued two cases under the Accord using the UNICITRAL Rules, designed for international commercial disputes, and we got a good result, leading to the remediation of many factories. But we knew that this was not a sustainable model for future arbitrations. It was simply too expensive and onerous. We need a system which is fast and fair, to enable a credible arbitrator to resolve disputes when other approaches have failed. And so, we decided to create a new set of rules.

“Having these rules will enable arbitration to become a reality for all kinds of global agreements. We increasingly see that employers also want credible agreements with an enforcement option. When we look back ten years from today, we will see this as a turning point when it comes to the enforceability of workers’ rights.”

The panel was organized  by a group of Canadian arbitrators and jurists who published a paper about the rules after learning about them from the Permanent Court of Arbitration. 

ILERA promotes the study of labour and employment relations throughout the world in various academic disciplines.