Understand the context
Consider local labour relations, workforce composition and the roles of employers, contractors, unions and worker representatives.
Task Force · Capability building
Migrant Worker Collective Bargaining Capability Building
Supporting Chinese companies operating overseas to engage more effectively and responsibly with migrant workers, including Chinese nationals, and their legitimate representatives.
Worker representation and collective bargaining depend on the applicable legal and institutional context. Workers must be able to exercise their rights without interference or retaliation.
Who this is for
- Chinese companies with overseas operations or projects
- Management teams working with migrant workforces
- Companies managing contractors and labour providers
- Partners supporting responsible worker engagement
The challenge
Make cross-border engagement workable
Overseas operations may bring together workers of different nationalities, languages, employment arrangements and expectations. Distance from home, reliance on intermediaries and unfamiliar local systems can make participation more difficult. For employers, effective engagement requires an understanding of local institutions as well as the ability to listen and respond across these differences.
Make participation accessible
Address practical barriers such as language, work schedules, access to information and fear of retaliation.
Build lasting capability
Strengthen the skills and organizational readiness needed for informed, constructive engagement and follow-through.
Focus areas
Capabilities for meaningful engagement
The scope is tailored to the operation, workforce and local context. It may include management learning and, where appropriate, engagement with workers and their legitimate representatives.
Labour relations context
Build management understanding of relevant local requirements, institutions and collective bargaining arrangements, with qualified local advice where needed.
Worker representation
Improve understanding of representative roles and support conditions in which workers can choose their representatives freely.
Cross-cultural communication
Improve the accessibility of information and discussion for workers who use different languages, including Chinese-speaking employees.
Collective bargaining readiness
Develop relevant knowledge and communication skills for engagement with unions or other legitimate representatives, as appropriate to the context.
Contractor and labour-provider interfaces
Clarify responsibilities and communication across employment arrangements so that migrant workers are not overlooked.
Implementation and learning
Support practical follow-up, review of agreed actions and learning from participation, while respecting confidentiality and applicable obligations.
Our approach
Start with the operating context
We work with the organization to define a proportionate scope. The specific format and participants depend on the needs, risks and circumstances of each engagement.
Understand the setting
Discuss the workforce, project or operation, existing engagement arrangements and relevant local context.
Identify capability needs
Consider knowledge, language, participation and organizational barriers, including perspectives from workers and their representatives where appropriate.
Develop and review
Agree suitable learning and engagement activities, responsibilities and opportunities for follow-up.
Principles and boundaries
Respect rights and independent representation
Conditions for participation
- Respect freedom of association and the role of independent worker organizations.
- Support access to understandable information and appropriate language assistance.
- Take concerns about confidentiality, safety and retaliation seriously.
- Recognize differences in nationality, gender, migration status and employment arrangements.
Clear roles
- Workers choose their own representatives; employers should not control that choice.
- Consultation or grievance channels do not replace unions or collective bargaining.
- Our role does not replace legal advice, public institutions or access to remedy.
- Participation does not guarantee a bargaining outcome or establish legal compliance.
Reference points
International guidance
The following public resources provide useful starting points for understanding responsible business conduct and worker rights. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement of this initiative.
- ILO Helpdesk: business and labour migration
- ILO Helpdesk: business and collective bargaining
- UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
Related work: Supplier and Labour Chain HRDD Capability Building and Proactive Mediation Mechanism Task Force.
Start a conversation
Discuss your overseas workforce context
Share your sector, locations and the engagement challenge you would like to address. Please avoid sending personal or sensitive case information in an initial enquiry.