Report for discussion at the Tripartite Meeting on the Employment Effects of Mergers and Acquisitions in Commerce

ILO, Geneva, 2003

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) are driving the commerce sector, particularly retail trade, towards greater concentration. The report examines the key factors and characteristics of this trend: the extent of M&As in various regions; various aspects of their employment effects as well as the effects of parallel drivers of sectoral restructuring; the impact on employment and working conditions; and implications for employee training, motivation and job security in the context of corporate competitiveness. The value, forms, functions and institutional framework of social dialogue and its potential to preserve harmonious industrial relations and advance mutual benefits for the social partners in M&As as well as to serve as a tool for general problem resolution are highlighted, as are the roles of the ILO and international labour standards.

Available for download at http://www.ilo.org/public/english/dialogue/sector/techmeet/tmmac03/tmmac-r.pdf [1]