Naidoo, Mahand a; Ba i, Syl ain; A idhi, Nada
Wo king Pape
De eloping e ec i e digi al case managemen sys ems o labou dispu e p e en ion and esolu ion
ins i u ions: Lessons lea ned om he ILO 2025 Sou h-Sou h and T iangula Coope a ion wo kshop
on digi al case managemen sys ems
ILO Wo king Pape , No. 142
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
In e na ional Labou O ganiza ion (ILO), Gene a
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Naidoo, Mahand a; Ba i, Syl ain; A idhi, Nada (2025) : De eloping e ec i e
digi al case managemen sys ems o labou dispu e p e en ion and esolu ion ins i u ions: Lessons
lea ned om he ILO 2025 Sou h-Sou h and T iangula Coope a ion wo kshop on digi al case
managemen sys ems, ILO Wo king Pape , No. 142, ISBN 978-92-2-042081-2, In e na ional Labou
O ganiza ion (ILO), Gene a,
h ps://doi.o g/10.54394/RUQT8770
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XDe eloping e ec i e digi al case
managemen sys ems o labou
dispu e p e en ion and esolu ion
ins i u ions
Lessons lea ned om he ILO 2025 Sou h-Sou h and T iangula
Coope a ion wo kshop on digi al case managemen sys ems
Au ho s / Mahand a Naidoo, Syl ain Ba i, Nada A idhi
May / 2025
ILO Wo king Pape 142
© In e na ional Labou O ganiza ion 2025
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A ibu ion – The use mus indica e i changes we e made and mus ci e he wo k as ollows:
Naidoo, M., Ba i, S., A idhi, N. De eloping e ec i e digi al case managemen sys ems o labou
dispu e p e en ion and esolu ion ins i u ions: Lessons lea ned om he ILO 2025 Sou h-Sou h and
T iangula Coope a ion wo kshop on digi al case managemen sys ems. ILO Wo king Pape 142.
Gene a: In e na ional Labou O ice, 2025.© ILO.
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Naidoo, M., Ba i, S., A idhi, N. 2025. De eloping e ec i e digi al case managemen sys ems o
labou dispu e p e en ion and esolu ion ins i u ions: Lessons lea ned om he ILO 2025 Sou h-
Sou h and T iangula Coope a ion wo kshop on digi al case managemen sys ems, ILO Wo king
Pape 142 (Gene a, ILO). h ps://doi.o g/10.54394/RUQT8770
01 ILO Wo king Pape 142
Abs ac
This wo king pape p esen s insigh s and lessons lea ned om he ILO's 2025 Sou h-Sou h and
T iangula Coope a ion (SSTC) wo kshop on digi al case managemen sys ems. Con ened in
Bangkok, he wo kshop ga he ed ep esen a i es om Sou h Asia, Sou h-Eas Asia, and Sou he n
A ica o add ess he pe sis en challenges o manual, pape -based labou dispu e managemen
sys ems, pa icula ly ine iciencies and ba ie s o access o jus ice. Th ough a compa a i e anal-
ysis o digi al case managemen sys ems om Aus alia, Sou h A ica, he Uni ed Kingdom, and
he Philippines, pa icipan s explo ed key design p inciples, echnological op ions, and change
managemen s a egies necessa y o success ul digi alisa ion. Emphasis was placed on build-
ing use -cen ed, lexible, secu e, and AI-suppo ed sys ems while ensu ing human-cen ic deci-
sion-making and da a p o ec ion. The wo kshop concluded wi h se e al coun ies commi ing o
de elop digi al wo k lows and es ablishing egional pla o ms o suppo ongoing pee lea ning
and echnical collabo a ion, con ibu ing o enhanced labou dispu e esolu ion e ec i eness
and access o labou jus ice.
Abou he au ho s
Mahand a Naidoo is he Labou Rela ions and Collec i e Ba gaining Specialis in he LABGOV
B anch. He is empo a ily de ached o his pos om he Decen Wo k Team o Sou h Asia, based
in Delhi, whe e he is he Social Dialogue and Labou Adminis a ion Specialis . P io o his, he
se ed as he ILO´s Chie Technical o he Social Dialogue and Indus ial Rela ions P ojec in
Bangladesh.
Syl ain Ba i is a lawye by educa ion. He holds a Mas e s deg ee in ad anced in e na ional le-
gal s udies. He cu en ly wo ks in he Social P o ec ion, Go e nance and T ipa ism Depa men ,
whe e he heads he clus e on social dialogue and indus ial ela ions.
Nada A idhi is a Specialis in Labou Adminis a ion wi hin he “Labou Adminis a ion and
Wo king Condi ions” Clus e a he ILO Coun y O ice o Bangladesh. Unde his posi ion, she
leads a echnical eam esponsible o p o iding he suppo o na ional cons i uen s o upg ade
he na ional indus ial ela ion sys em and he Access o Labou Jus ice mechanisms, s eng hen
he e ec i eness and inclusi eness o Social Dialogue Ins i u ions and p ocesses and o de el-
op a Na ional Wage Policy in Bangladesh. Be o e his posi ion, she was a CTA a he ILO- CO o
Algie s, esponsible o he managemen o wo p ojec s aiming o “S eng hen Social Dialogue,
Social P o ec ion and Labou Adminis a ion” in Tunisia.
02 ILO Wo king Pape 142
Abs ac 01
Abou he au ho s 01
Execu i e Summa y 03
XIn oduc ion 04
X1 A Summa y O e iew o T ends in Case Managemen in Pa icipa ing
Coun ies 06
X2 Case Managemen Sys ems o Resou ce 12
2.1 Fai Wo k Commission (FWC) o Aus alia 12
2.2 Commission o Concilia ion, Media ion and A bi a ion (CCMA) o Sou h A ica 14
2.3 Depa men o Labou and Employmen (DoLE) o Philippines 17
2.4 Ad iso y, Concilia ion and A bi a ion Se ice (ACAS) o he Uni ed Kingdom 19
2.5 LIFT – a case managemen sys em o he labou inspec o a e 22
X3 Key Conside a ions in De eloping a Digi al Case Managemen Sys em o
LDPR Ins i u ions 25
XConclusion 28
Annex 29
Re e ences 30
Acknowledgemen s 32
Table o con en s
03 ILO Wo king Pape 142
Execu i e Summa y
The Sou h-Sou h and T iangula Coope a ion (SSTC) Wo kshop on Digi al Case Managemen
Sys ems, held in Bangkok om 25–27 Feb ua y 2025, con ened ep esen a i es om Sou h
Asia (Bangladesh, India, Nepal and S i Lanka), Sou h-Eas Asia (Cambodia, Philippines, Vie nam),
and Sou he n A ica (Leso ho, Namibia and Eswa ini) o explo e he de elopmen o digi al case
managemen sys ems in he con ex o labou dispu e esolu ion, wi h a iew o ad ance access
o labou jus ice.
The wo kshop was p omp ed by a consis en weakness iden i ied ac oss diagnos ic assessmen s
conduc ed by he ILO, namely, he absence o digi al sys ems o case managemen o labou
dispu es. The p edominance o manual, pape -based sys ems, pa icula ly in Sou h Asia, esul -
ed in ine iciencies, delays, documen loss, and comp omised access o jus ice.
Wi h suppo om he ILO, he wo kshop p o ided a pla o m o pa icipan s o lea n om
coun ies wi h ad anced sys ems, including Aus alia, Sou h A ica, he Uni ed Kingdom, and he
Philippines. Each sha ed lessons om hei own ansi ion jou neys, echnical app oaches, and
s a egies o building o ganisa ional eadiness and change managemen .
Pa icipan s e iewed he s a us o hei own sys ems and collabo a i ely mapped ou wo k lows
wi h he goal o u u e digi isa ion. Key hemes included ensu ing sys em lexibili y, da a secu-
i y, accessibili y, e ec i e use o a i icial in elligence, and s akeholde engagemen . The case
s udies u he highligh ed he need o sys ems o be designed a ound use needs, suppo ed
by s ong in e nal capabili ies, and in o med by ealis ic implemen a ion s a egies.
The wo kshop concluded wi h commi men s by se e al coun ies - such as Bangladesh, S i Lanka,
and India - o e ine hei wo k lows and ini ia e he de elopmen o digi al sys ems. The ILO will
con inue o suppo his e o h ough sub- egional and egional pla o ms, acili a ing pee
lea ning and ongoing echnical assis ance.
04 ILO Wo king Pape 142
XIn oduc ion
The ILO’s diagnos ic ool o sel -assessing he e ec i eness o labou dispu e p e en ion and
esolu ion (LDPR) ins i u ions was de eloped o help go e nmen s and social pa ne s de elop a
common unde s anding o he pe o mance o bo h judicial and non-judicial LDPR ins i u ions,
wi h a iew o iden i ying po en ial oppo uni ies and challenges, and join ly de ise measu es o
add ess hem. The ool uses hi een “e ec i eness p inciples” as assessmen c i e ia.1
The diagnos ic ool has been used o assess mainly non-judicial labou dispu e esolu ion sys-
ems in Bangladesh, h ee s a es in India (Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Ka na aka), S i Lanka, Pakis an,
Eswa ini, Leso ho and Namibia.
A ising om hese diagnos ic assessmen s, a consis en a ea o weakness ha was iden i ied was
he lack o e icien case managemen sys ems pa icula ly in Sou h Asia. The case managemen
sys ems o each o he labou depa men s and ins i u ions ha we e assessed in Sou h Asia a e
all pape -based, which agg a a ed he isk o documen s being los , inaccu acies o epo s gen-
e a ed, and delays in esol ing dispu es. E ec i e access o jus ice was he e o e comp omised.
De eloping and s eng hening digi al case managemen sys ems was iden i ied o enhance he
e ec i eness o LDPR ins i u ions and imp o e wo k low pe o mance.
Whe e digi al case managemen sys ems we e being used in pa icipa ing coun ies om Sou he n
A ica, hese coun ies each elied on Sou h A ica´s Commission o Concilia ion, Media ion and
A bi a ion o p o ide case managemen se ices o hem. They we e howe e conside ing de-
eloping hei own digi al case managemen sys ems.
Each o he ac ion plans a ising om he diagnos ic wo kshops has he e o e p io i ised he de-
elopmen o digi al case managemen sys ems, as a basis o mo e e ec i ely ecei ing, e e -
ing, moni o ing, esol ing and ga he ing da a on labou dispu es.
A Sou h-Sou h and T iangula Pa icipa ion wo kshop was he e o e con ened by he ILO in
Bangkok om 25 – 27 Feb ua y 2025. The wo kshop included go e nmen pa icipa ion om
coun ies in Sou h Asia (i.e. Bangladesh, India, Nepal, S i Lanka), Sou h-Eas Asia (i.e. Cambodia,
Philippines, Vie nam) and Sou he n A ica (Leso ho, Namibia, Eswa ini). A lis o pa icipan s is
a ached as Annex 12.
The speci ic pu pose o his wo kshop was o de elop a deepe and mo e in o med unde s anding
o wha a digi al case managemen sys em was, wha he de elopmen o such a sys em would
en ail, he bene i s o such a sys em, po en ial challenges, lessons lea n om speci ic coun ies
ha had de eloped such sys ems and iden i ying nex s eps owa ds de eloping such sys ems
in coun ies ha pa icipa ed in he wo kshop.
1
10 P inciples apply o bo h judicial and non-judicial ins i u ions, namely: e iciency, speediness, accessibili y, ai ness, equali y, accoun abil-
i y, independence, impa iali y, p o essionalism and en o cemen . In addi ion, 3 p inciples also apply o non-judicial ins i u ions, namely:
olun a ism, con iden iali y and p e en ion. In ela ion o case-managemen sys ems, he applica ion o he ool in a ious coun ies o
he wo ld has shown ha issues ela ed o case managemen in bo h judicial and non-judicial ins i u ions we e almos sys ema ically
epo ed. In ela ion o digi al case managemen , he issues aised conce ned hei echnical and inancial sus ainabili y, while wi h
ega d o manual case managemen , he challenges included he accessibili y o iles o lawye s and judges, he secu i y o da a and
he isk o audulen in e e ences, as well as ins ances o iles being los (Access o Labou Jus ice o All: P e en ion and esolu ion
o labou dispu es, Backg ound Repo , pa a. 85 (d)).
2h ps://www.ilo.o g/si es/de aul / iles/2025-04/Annex%201_Pa icipan %20Lis _0.pd
05 ILO Wo king Pape 142
The wo kshop inco po a ed specialised case managemen expe ise om he Commission o
Concilia ion, Media ion and A bi a ion (CCMA) in Sou h A ica, Fai Wo k Commission (FWC) in
Aus alia and he Ad iso y, Concilia ion and A bi a ion Se ice (ACAS) o he Uni ed Kingdom
and he ILO´s LABGOV B anch.
12 ILO Wo king Pape 142
X2 Case Managemen Sys ems o Resou ce
This sec ion p o ides a summa y o he expe iences o he ou coun ies ha se ed as esou ce
o ganisa ions a he wo kshop, as well as he ILO, in de eloping digi al case managemen sys ems.
The p esen a ions o hese coun ies a e a ached unde Annex 3.
2.1 Fai Wo k Commission (FWC) o Aus alia
The ole o he FWC was p ima ily ocused on dealing wi h indi idual and collec i e dispu es, p o-
ec ing igh s o en y o union o icials, egula ing egis e ed o ganisa ions and unions, se ing
minimum wages and suppo ing collec i e ba gaining p ocesses.
The Fai Wo k Ombudsman was a sepa a e independen agency ha he FWC liaised wi h. The
Fai Wo k Ombudsman was esponsible o en o cing compliance wi h ele an legisla ion and
awa d, egis e ed ag eemen s h ough inspec ions, and conduc ing in es iga ions, amongs
o he esponsibili ies.
The FWC e e ed some cases o he ede al cou , mainly on ma e s such as gene al p o ec ions
and indi idual igh s-based dispu es ha we e disc imina o y in na u e, amongs o he ma e s.
In e ms o s a capaci y, he o ganisa ion was headed by a p esiden and a gene al manage .
The e we e 53 Commission membe s4, who ca ied ou he FWC´s dispu e esolu ion wo k. The
FWC endea ou ed o add ess ma e s e icien ly, ai ly and anspa en ly, while a oiding unnec-
essa y echnicali ies. Technology, and pa icula ly he digi al case managemen sys em, was used
as a basis o achie ing hese goals.
App oxima ely 40,000 lodgemen s a yea we e ecei ed h ough he case managemen sys em.
These we e submi ed ei he h ough he FWC websi e po al, ia email (30 - 40 pe cen ) o d op-
o a any o he eigh FWC o ices. Scheduling o conside a ma e is done manually. Once a
lodgemen was ecei ed, scheduling was conduc ed by 10 o 15 s a , on a daily basis, and was
consequen ly ime-consuming. Au oma ing scheduling has howe e p o en o be complica ed
gi en ha s a p e e ed o be in con ol o hei scheduled o allow o g ea e lexibili y in ime
managemen . The e we e also ea s o job losses a ising om ull au oma ion h ough he case
managemen sys em.
On ypes o ma e s being conside , un ai dismissals comp ised he la ges sha e o lodgemen s.
Gene al p o ec ions we e also a la ge applica ion ca ego y. These e e ed o legal igh s and p o-
ec ions p o ided unde he Fai Wo k Ac 2009, which p o ec wo kplace igh s, ensu e eedom
o associa ion, p o ide p o ec ion om wo kplace disc imina ion and sa egua d agains ad e se
ac ion and coe cion. These p o ec ions we e en o ced by he FWC and he Fai Wo k Ombudsman.
FWC´s cu en case clea ance a e was close o 100 pe cen . A o al o 82 pe cen o lodgemen s
we e esol ed wi hin eigh weeks, which was signi ican ly abo e he benchma k which was se
a 50 pe cen . O e 124, 000 calls we e ecei ed on he helpline, wi h an a e age call wai ime
4Membe s a e FWC s a who a e esponsible o concilia ing dispu es
13 ILO Wo king Pape 142
o abou i e minu es. These e iciencies could be a ibu ed o he suppo p o ided by an e -
ec i e case managemen sys em.
The o ganisa ion used an o - he-shel case managemen sys em called caseHQ (Readycase).
Da a and in o ma ion we e hos ed on Azu e cloud s o age. caseHQ ope a ed p ima ily on a
Mic oso pla o m, and was he e o e compa ible wi h o he Mic oso echnologies ha we e
inco po a ed in o he case managemen sys em. Mic oso was selec ed gi en ha i was a se -
ice p o ide wi h he equi ed esou ces and expe ise, and gi en i s geog aphical sp ead, was
also able o p o ide a apid and e icien se ice. In addi ion, i was impo an ha he selec ed
case managemen sys em´s so wa e s ack5 could be easily main ained and was i o pu pose
o he u u e. The appoin men o a single se ice p o ide , ha could p o ide a comp ehensi e
se ice was he e o e p io i ised by FWC, hence he appoin men o Mic oso .
P io o p ocu ing caseHQ, FWC had a emp ed o ini ially build i s own case managemen sys-
em. This decision was ul ima ely e e sed, gi en he high cos s ha would ha e been en ailed
on upda ing and main aining such a sel -buil sys em. In addi ion, FWC did no ega d he build-
ing o case managemen sys ems as pa o i s co e business o a ea o compe ence. A decision
was he e o e aken o p ocu e an o - he-shel sys em, ha could be con igu ed o se e he
needs o he o ganisa ion.
A key lesson lea n in he p ocess o implemen ing i s digi al case managemen sys em was ha
he sys em should include lexibili y o accommoda e unexpec ed de elopmen in he dispu e
esolu ion p ocess. An in lexible wo k low-based sys em would no allow o cases o be easily
mo ed o di e en pa s o he p ocess, i he si ua ion wa an ed his. I would he e o e esul
in ine iciencies in a p ocess ha was mean o be in o mal. An analogy ha was used o desc ibe
FWC´s case managemen sys em is ha i would be simila o a oad ne wo k as opposed o a
ail ne wo k. Whe eas a ail ne wo k simply wen om poin A o poin B, he oad ne wo k o -
e ed he lexibly o accommoda e si ua ions whe e pa ies chose o “de ou o loop back”. This
was simila o wha some imes happened in he concilia ion p ocess. A case managemen sys-
em ha inco po a ed his lexibili y was he e o e impo an in o de o acili a e a lexible and
e ec i e dispu e esolu ion p ocess.
A u he impo an lea ning was he impo ance o change managemen in o de o build s a
suppo and educe esis ance. FWC´s new case managemen sys em en ailed signi ican chang-
es in he way in which wo k was done. Signi ican e o s we e made o in ol e s a . Howe e ,
gi en he impac o he new sys em on exis ing wo k p ocesses, i was ound ha mo e could
ha e been done o ensu e ha s a we e mo e ully in ol ed in he implemen a ion o he new
case managemen sys em.
In his ega d, a mo e phased app oach, ha inco po a ed a pilo ini ially wi h pa icula case
ypes would p obably ha e assis ed o be e inco po a e s a , and o esol e some o he chal-
lenges wi h he sys em ea lie in he p ocess. Ins ead, he sys em was ins alled and ac i a ed
e y apidly. E en wi h aining, some s a ound i di icul o ansi ion in o using he new sys-
em. I was he e o e also impo an o iden i y and in ol e “champions” o sys em implemen-
a ion om wi hin he eams, who could suppo and acili a e adop ion o he new echnology
by hei colleagues.
5A so wa e s ack is a collec ion o echnologies (so wa e componen s, ools, and amewo ks) ha a e used oge he o build and un
applica ions. These componen s a e ypically laye ed on op o each o he , wi h each laye se ing a speci ic pu pose in he o e all
sys em. This includes aspec s such as he F on -end (clien - acing),back-end (se e -side),da abase o s o e and manage da a, se -
e /hos ing en i onmen , and ope a ing sys em
14 ILO Wo king Pape 142
E icien echnical suppo o he case managemen sys em was also i al. In his ega d, he FWC
case managemen sys em suppo eam p o ides suppo o abou 410 licenced use s ac oss
e e y s a e and e i o y in Aus alia. These we e all in e nal use s, and included concilia o s.
The suppo eam was esponsible o managing con igu a ion and change eques s, p o iding
aining o new use s and coo dina ing eleases and es ing.
In de eloping a case managemen sys em, a u he conside a ion was o conside u u e e-
qui emen s, and o he e o e selec o de elop a sys em ha would allow o adap a ion o e
ime, as needs changed. Aspec s o conside he e o e included he o ma o da a collec ion,
managemen o in o ma ion, s o age o documen s, and ela edly owne ship o in o ma ion.
Fo FWC, i was a equi emen ha all da a was s o ed in Aus alia.
The FWC case managemen sys em was also de eloped o inco po a e a documen sea ch ea-
u e ha assis ed o loca e p eceden s. I also inco po a ed s anda d empla es ha could be
used by membe s. Howe e , he sys em would no gene a e an o de o a membe based on
keywo ds. Membe s we e howe e equi ed o independen ly each and documen hei espec-
i e decisions.
2.2 Commission o Concilia ion, Media ion and A bi a ion
(CCMA) o Sou h A ica
The CCMA was Sou h A ica´s na ional labou dispu e esolu ion o ganisa ion. I was an independ-
en body, unded by he go e nmen , h ough he Depa men o Labou and Employmen , and
was go e ned by a ipa i e Boa d comp ising h ee ep esen a i es each om o go e nmen ,
employe s and ade unions espec i ely.
The key esponsibili y o he CCMA was o ensu e ha labou peace was main ained in Sou h
A ica, p ima ily h ough concilia ing and a bi a ing labou dispu es, including hose o na ional
impo ance. In espec o he la e , he CCMA was expec ed o in e ene p oac i ely o esol e
na ional s ikes, wi hou needing o awai go e nmen app o al o in e ene. The o ganisa-
ion also played a key ole in suppo ing he o ma ion o sec o al Ba gaining Councils in Sou h
A ica. These Ba gaining Councils we e esponsible o collec i e ba gaining o he sec o ha
hey co e , and o esol ing dispu es in hese sec o s wi h he suppo o he CCMA´s concilia-
o s and a bi a o s. Pa ies had ecou se o Sou h A ica´s labou cou s in he e en ha hey
did no accep he ou comes o he CCMA a bi a ion p ocess.
A p io i y o he CCMA was o ensu e imp o ed in e nal s a and ex e nal use accessibili y o i s
labou dispu e esolu ion sys em. Fo CCMA, he inco po a ion o pla o ms such as Wha sApp
in o i s digi al case managemen sys em he e o e p o ided a basis o enhancing accessibili y
o ex e nal use s in pa icula . This was impo an gi en ha many wo ke s, including domes ic
wo ke s and ag icul u al wo ke s, lacked in e ne and email co e age. A u he cons ain ha
Wha sApp could assis o o e come was he lack o an e icien pos al se ice in Sou h A ica.
Gi en his si ua ion, CCMA could no ely on he pos al se ice o issue no ices, including awa ds.
Wha sApp had he e o e p o ided an al e na i e app oach o he CCMA o communica e, each
and se e no ices as well as awa ds. This was aided by he ac ha mos Sou h A icans owned
sma phones. The CCMA had also de eloped an app called CCMA Connec ha allowed use s o
ack and ace dispu es and aise dispu es. Essen ially, CCMA Connec was designed o make
i easie o use s o access CCMA se ices, manage hei cases, and ecei e upda es in a mo e
e icien and use - iendly way.
15 ILO Wo king Pape 142
Key ea u es o CCMA Connec included digi al case access by use s (employees, employe s, and
ep esen a i es) o access in o ma ion abou hei cases online, online documen submission;
educing he need o isi CCMA o ices, no i ica ions and ale s ia SMS and/o email no i ica-
ions abou case de elopmen s, such as hea ing de ails o eques s o addi ional in o ma ion,
a sel -se ice po al h ough which use s could in e ac di ec ly wi h he CCMA wi hou need-
ing a hi d pa y, which was designed o imp o e access, especially o un ep esen ed indi idu-
als. The main bene i s o CCMA Connec was ha i imp o ed accessibili y, especially o people
in emo e a eas, i acili a ed as e communica ion be ween he CCMA and case pa ies, i e-
duced pape wo k and in-pe son isi s and i p omo ed mo e anspa ency and isibili y o case
p og ess o all pa ies.
CCMA also implemen ed i s e-Commissione online case managemen sys em in 2023. e-Commis-
sione was a digi al case managemen ool ha assis ed Commissione s6 in managing and p o-
cessing cases elec onically. I was based on a Mic oso Sha ePoin pla o m and used Mic oso
Azu e o cloud s o age. The E-Commissione case managemen sys em enabled commission-
e s o access case iles, e iew documen a ion, and eco d ou comes elec onically; s eamlined
p e-hea ing p epa a ion, in-hea ing managemen , and pos -hea ing eco ding o decisions; en-
abled commissione s o d a and submi a bi a ion awa ds o ulings di ec ly wi hin he pla -
o m, and suppo ed quicke u na ound imes o issuing decisions.
I was ully in eg a ed wi h CCMA Connec and o he in e nal CCMA sys ems. The e-Commission-
e sys em also enabled commissione s o pe o m du ies om anywhe e, suppo ing emo e o
i ual hea ings (which was especially impo an du ing and a e he COVID-19 pandemic). This
included he online p esen a ion o e idence, he eco ding o he p ocess and he ende ing o
binding se lemen s, ulings and awa ds.
The e-Commissione case managemen sys em aimed o add ess pa icula de iciencies in he
CCMA´s p e ious case managemen sys em h ough:
i) T ansi ioning o a pape less dispu e esolu ion p ocess. This would also esul in signi ican
cos sa ings due o a subs an ial educ ion in p in ing cos s. P in ing cos s we e cu en ly ex-
emely high. The eliance on pape copies equi ed a chi ing, which also added o u he
cos s ha be be e spen on enhancing labou dispu e esolu ion esou ces.
ii)
Making bes use o he a ailable commissione s, pa icula ly gi en ha he p e ious case man-
agemen sys em equi ed ha a case be hea d in he geog aphical a ea in which i had been
lodged. This had esul ed in case load imbalances, wi h e y high caseloads o commission-
e s in pa icula a eas, and an unde u ilisa ion o Commissione s in o he geog aphical a eas.
The e o e, o add ess his geog aphical une enness, i was necessa y o de elop a sys em ha
would enable Commissione s o hea cases ega dless o whe e hey we e based, and also
wi hou needing o incu addi ional a el cos s o bo h Commissione s and in e p e e s. This
was impo an o add ess ui less and cos ly a el and accommoda ion by Commissione s
i one pa y was absen om p oceedings wi hou p io no ice. E-Commissione also enabled
use s o pa icipa e online in dispu e esolu ion p ocesses a a CCMA cen e, closes o hei
loca ion. The e-Commissione sys em, gi en ha i was ully online, now enabled a case o be
hea d i ually, by Commissione s based in any pa o he coun y. The emo al o he need
o physical p esence he e o e eshaped he app oach o case disposal.
6The o icials who concilia e and a bi a e dispu es o he CCMA. These include pa - ime and ull ime s a who unde ake hese unc-
ions.
16 ILO Wo king Pape 142
iii) The sys em addi ionally enabled he case managemen o ice s o ack deadlines, and o en-
su e ha Commissione s abide by deadlines se in labou legisla ion. This was impo an o
suppo he imely add essing o cases, as well as o ensu e ha CCMA p o ided an e icien ,
legisla i ely complain se ice.
Rega ding case iling, and in addi ion o he Wha sApp op ion, cases may be iled online, deli -
e ed physically by applican s o submi ed ia email. Cu en ly, abou hal o all cases we e hand
deli e ed, wi h app oxima ely 25 pe cen being emailed. This was la gely due o inadequa e Wi-Fi
co e age in u al a eas. The CCMA he e o e in ended o expand he use o Wha sApp as pa o
i s s a egy o inc ease accessibili y and ansi ion o a pape less en i onmen . Use s we e he e-
o e encou aged o make use o he CCMA´s Wha sApp pla o m. Should hey no ha e a sma -
phone, hey could isi a CCMA o ice o submi hei applica ions ia able s ha we e a ailable
in hese o ices. This also educed he bu den on case managemen o ice s o cap u e e e als
submi ed ia email o by hand deli e y.
To educe i s caseloads, he CCMA also conduc ed p e-concilia ion. P e-concilia ion was con-
duc ed elephonically by case managemen o ice s. This was a cos -e ec i e way in which o
esol e cases. App oxima ely 16 o 20 pe cen o cases we e add essed h ough p e-concilia-
ion. Reducing he adminis a i e bu den on case managemen o ice s would he e o e ee up
mo e ime o hem o unde ake p e-concilia ion, as well as o p o ide in e p e a ion se ices.
The CCMA was cu en ly wo king o u he consolida e i s case managemen sys em. This would
en ail upg ading he e-Commissione sys em o enhance he eceip o dispu es, schedule com-
missione s online, ack p og ess (including he s a us o compliance wi h awa ds), moni o and
epo mo e e icien ly on he s a us o cases. I would also include he in eg a ion o a i icial in-
elligence (AI). Rega ding he use o AI, all a bi a ion p ocedu es we e eco ded and ansc ibed.
Gi en he numbe o a bi a ions unde way a any gi en ime, as well as he leng h o some a bi-
a ion p oceedings, AI would be mo e ully deployed o suppo he de elopmen o ansc ip s,
and o p o ide summa ised e sions o ansc ip s. AI was also being used o language ansla-
ions, and his ea u e was expec ed o be used mo e ex ensi ely in he u u e.
AI would also inco po a ed o assis commissione s o ind case law o in o m hei wo k. This
was also in ended o expedi e he labou dispu e esolu ion p ocess, as he use o AI o ind el-
e an case law would educe he ime spen by commissione s on he same ac i i y. In addi ion,
he use o AI would ee up ime cu en ly consumed by adminis a i e asks, o mo e p oduc-
i e labou dispu e esolu ion ac i i ies. This was o pa icula ele ance o case managemen
o ice s, who equi ed a deg ee in law o human esou ces o appoin men , and whose ime
was la gely occupied by cap u ing da a, as opposed o p e-concilia ion. I was howe e a p io -
i y ha he in eg a ion o AI in o he case managemen sys em should ensu e ha he p ocess
emained human-cen e ed.
I was also impo an o ecognise ha a digi al case managemen sys em no only con ibu ed
o he inc eased e iciency and e ec i eness o he dispu e esolu ion p ocess, and be e use o
s a ime, bu also would also acili a e cos - educ ions in espec o p in ing and a chi ing. In
addi ion, h ough in eg a ing he digi al case managemen ea u es wi h Mic oso applica ions
such as Teams, i would no longe be necessa y o concilia o s o a el o a end labou cou
p oceedings. They could join emo ely om hei base. I should be no ed ha , gi en equen
powe ou ages in Sou h A ica, ideo calls on Wha sApp had been used o hea cases. This was
ound o ha e wo ked well.
17 ILO Wo king Pape 142
2.3 Depa men o Labou and Employmen (DoLE) o
Philippines
Handling labou dispu es e icien ly was no jus abou esol ing cases. I was also abou ensu ing
wo ke s and employe s had access o a ai , anspa en and esponsi e sys em. The Go e nmen
o Philippines he e o e ecognised he need o de elop a mo e in eg a ed, da a d i en digi al
case managemen sys em. This case managemen sys em was designed o s eamline p ocess-
es, imp o e coo dina ion and p o ide eal ime insigh s o be e decision making.
By way o con ex , o e he pas i e yea s, he labou depa men handled an a e age o 49,113
eques s o concilia ion/media ion. The majo i y o hese cases we e se led wi hin he manda-
o y 30-day pe iod. P io o he COVID-19 pandemic, DoLE p edominan ly handled cases manu-
ally, including h ough walk-in pape -based sys ems. Howe e , du ing he COVID-19 lockdown,
and as heal h es ic ions limi ed ace- o- ace se ices, a need o es ablish online sys ems o a-
cili a e se ices o access o wo ke s o dispu e esolu ion se ices was ecognised.
In addi ion, he need o an in eg a ed case managemen sys em was also d i en by agmen -
ed dispu e esolu ion sys ems, wi h mul iple agencies ope a ing wi h hei own da abases and
p ocesses, making da a sha ing and in e -ope abili y e y di icul . Gi en his agmen a ion, e-
al- ime moni o ing was also ex emely di icul . The collec ion o s a is ical da a, as well as he
gene a ing o pe o mance epo s was an addi ional complica ion. Wi hou imely da a, i was
di icul o pinpoin bo lenecks, backlogs o dispu e pa e ns.
The ac ha he dispu e esolu ion p ocesses we e la gely manual, and pape -based, made hem
ime consuming and p one o duplica ion o e o s ha we e e y di icul o de ec . Accessibili y
and anspa ency conce ns also a ose, gi en di icul ies in keep s akeholde s upda ed on he
s a us o hei concilia ion applica ions.
The de elopmen and implemen a ion o a ully in eg a ed case managemen sys em was he e-
o e iden i ied as a p io i y in he Philippines Labo and Employmen Plan: 2023 – 2028. Such a
sys em was ecognised as c i ical o cos e ec i e, anspa en , accessible and apid labou dis-
pu e esolu ion. I also ell wi hin he o e all policy p io i ies o he labou depa men , which
emphasised i s ly ensu ing ha policy decisions and ope a ional ac ions we e unde pinned by
eliable eal ime in o ma ion, secondly p o ec ing sensi i e case da a and pe sonal in o ma-
ion ac oss sys ems, hi dly ensu ing con inuous aining and upskilling s a o emb ace digi al
ools and analy ics; and las ly gua an eeing ha p ocesses we e op imized o he s akeholde s
ha he depa men se ed h ough main aining high s anda ds o accessibili y and e iciency.
This case managemen sys em he e o e comp ised a key componen o wha was iewed as a
holis ic ans o ma ion; ocusing on people, p ocess and echnology. These we e ega ding as
ep esen ing h ee c i ical elemen s ha mus wo k oge he ha moniously o e ec i e se ice
deli e y o use s. Wi hin his amewo k, he in eg a ed case managemen sys em i sel es ed
on hese h ee o e a ching objec i e, gi en ha i aimed i s ly o s eamline and imp o e labou
dispu e esolu ion p ocesses, secondly o in eg a e all labou dispu e esolu ion da abases in o
one seamless sys em and las ly o p o ide eal ime da a and s a us upda es o enhance moni-
o ing and be e in o m policy decisions.
These objec i es un olded in he ollowing h ee phases. Phase one ocused on he launching o
a pilo in eg a ed case managemen sys em. Phase 2 in ol ed c ea ing a da a wa ehouse and
expanding he pilo case managemen sys em dashboa d o encompass eal- iming epo ing
capabili ies.
18 ILO Wo king Pape 142
Phase h ee en ailed he de elopmen o a ully comp ehensi e in eg a ed case managemen
sys em connec ed wi h addi ional o ices o he Depa men o Labou and Employmen and o h-
e ela ed o ganisa ions, including he Bu eau o Labo Rela ions. This would ensu e an end- o-
end digi al ecosys em o labou dispu e esolu ion. The Bu eau o Labo Rela ions o med pa
o he Depa men o Labo and Employmen , and was esponsible o collec ing and egula ly
publishing da a on labou ela ions. By he end o phase h ee, a comp ehensi e labou dispu e
esolu ion ecosys em was en isaged in which each labou dispu e p ocess was included, moni-
o ed and esol ed wi hin a uni ied digi al pla o m.
An impo an conside a ion in de eloping he digi al case managemen sys em was he need o
enhance accessibili y o he labou dispu e esolu ion sys em. Philippines had be ween 10 o 15
majo languages in which labou dispu es we e ecei e. The in eg a ion o la ge language mod-
els (LLMs), ha could inco po a e mul iple languages, wi h he digi al case managemen sys em
was he e o e c i ical. A numbe o LLMs we e ained and could handle mul iple languages.
They could iden i y he na u e o he dispu e, and o whom hese dispu es should be e e ed.
The e o e, in espec o he digi al case managemen sys em, once a complain was ecei ed, he
sys em would de e mine whe he i was a Single-En y App oach (SENA)7 o a non-SENA i em. I
i was a SENA i em, hen he adminis a i e p ocess was s aigh o wa d. In his case, he com-
plainan would ecei e an email esponse guiding hem o guide hem on he nex s eps in he
o mal lodging o he complain .
Dealing wi h non-SENA issues depended on whe he o no he dispu e could be e e ed o o h-
e agencies o DoLE. Once his was de e mined, he LLM was ained o guide he complainan
on he nex s eps. I would also au oma ically ale he ele an agency abou he dispu e, and
p o ide in o ma ion ha was applicable o he dispu e. The e o e, o example, o a wage dis-
pu e, he sys em would o wa d an email o he ocal poin a he labou inspec o a e o wages
boa d, and would gene a e a summa y o he complain , and he app op ia e law in e e ence
o he complain .
The labou inspec o a e/wage boa d ocal poin would he e o e be p o ided wi h a apid o e -
iew o he complain and ele an law as a basis o u he ac ion. The need o human-cen ed
ollow-up and ac ion was emphasised. This was also pe inen o DoLE. The e we e complain s o
a sensi i e na u e ha he manage o a pa icula ju isdic ion would wan o speci ically assign
o mo e seasoned media o s. The au oma ed assignmen o dispu es o concilia o s was he e-
o e emo ed om he sys em o e ain decision-making by manage s. In addi ion, he end- o-
end managemen o he case h ough AI was also es ic ed. This ensu ed ha he concilia o s
would con inue o ha e p ima y esponsibili y o liaising wi h complainan s.
The lessons lea n om he Philippines expe ience o de eloping and implemen ing a digi al case
managemen sys em included i s ly he impo ance o unde aking implemen a ion in a phased
app oach. Inc emen al ollou s would allow o he e ining o each s age wi hou o e whelming
s akeholde s, pa icula ly gi en he scale o he ans o ma ion. Secondly, i he p ojec in ol ed
in eg a ing new sys ems wi h exis ing sys ems, i was impo an o s eng hen da a wa ehous-
ing and eal ime analy ics. Timely insigh s imp o ed s a egic decisions. Thi dly, conside a ion
7A SENA i em is a dispu e ha is deal wi h di ec ly by he Depa men o Labo and Employmen and i s Na ional Concilia ion and
Media ion Boa d. I is an adminis a i e mechanism designed o p o ide speedy, impa ial, and inexpensi e access o labou dis-
pu e esolu ion be o e hey escala e in o ull-blown cases o o mal complain s. I aims o media e dispu es be ween wo ke s and
employe s h ough concilia ion and media ion wi hin 30 calenda days om he da e o iling.
19 ILO Wo king Pape 142
should be gi en o inco po a ing AI-assis ed au oma ion and assessmen o p o ide guidance
on how p ocesses could be s eamlined and case handling e iciency could be enhanced.
Fou h, secu i y and da a p i acy should be embedded in he sys em. Compliance wi h da a p o-
ec ion egula ions was i al, especially gi en he sensi i e na u e o in o ma ion. Fi h, in es -
men in aining and change managemen was c ucial. In ol ing s a and s akeholde s in he
ans o ma ion would acili a e smoo he implemen a ion. Linked wi h his, os e ing anspa -
ency and us h ough egula and communica ion and eedback wi h s akeholde s was need-
ed. Finally, secu ing unding was i al. This equi ed close pa ne ships be ween go e nmen
and de elopmen pa ne s.
2.4 Ad iso y, Concilia ion and A bi a ion Se ice (ACAS) o he
Uni ed Kingdom
ACAS was an independen , ipa i e labou dispu e esolu ion body, unded by go e nmen . I
howe e unc ioned independen ly o go e nmen . I s se ices included a subs an ial aining
unc ion, web-based se ices, concilia ion o bo h indi idual and collec i e dispu es, and a bi a-
ion. A bi a ion ep esen ed a smalle componen o he wo k o ACAS. In his ega d, app ox-
ima ely 20 a bi a ions we e conduc ed pe yea , compa ed wi h in excess o 100,000 indi idual
dispu e claims ha we e mainly add essed h ough concilia ion.
The key ole o ACAS was he p e en ion and esolu ion o dispu es. On p e en ion, ACAS had a
helpline h ough which anyone wi h a ques ion on hei labou igh s could ecei e assis ance.
This included bo h employe s and employees. The aim o he helpline was o assis pa ies wi h
in o ma ion ha could po en ially a e a dispu e. Fo employees, he in o ma ion was p o ided
in manne ha would enable he employee o ha e an in o med discussion wi h he /his manag-
e , he eby o e ing he possibili y o a oid a legal dispu e. Simila ly, o employe s, expe legal
ad ice was p o ided wi h a iew o a oiding dispu es om a ising.
Dispu e esolu ion was a sha ed unc ion in he Uni ed Kingdom. In his ega d, he Employmen
T ibunal conduc ed he adjudica ion o dispu es, while ACAS was p ima ily esponsible o concil-
ia ing dispu es. ACAS and he Employmen T ibunal we e howe e sepa a ed by law. ACAS was
he e o e p ohibi ed o m allowing he Employmen T ibunal access o i s sys em, and ice e -
sa. The e we e e o s unde way o b idge his di ide. A ising om legisla ion, he dispu e eso-
lu ion p ocess was s uc u ed in o a se ies o phases which had o be conduc ed o e a speci ic
pe iod. Each phase had i s own p ocedu e h ough which o deal wi h pa ies.
Any claiman wishing o p oceed wi h a dispu e in he Uni ed Kingdom was equi ed by law o
no i y ACAS, o ob ain a ce i ica e ha he ma e had been submi ed o ACAS. This included a
claiman wishing o lodge a case wi h he Employmen T ibunal. An ACAS ce i ica e was neces-
sa y in o de o p oceed. As a i s s ep, he in o ma ion ha was equi ed by ACAS, h ough a
s uc u ed o m, included hei name, add ess and he add ess o hei employe .
Once his in o ma ion had been ob ained, he case hen p oceeded o ea ly concilia ion. In his
phase, ACAS had six weeks du ing which o a emp o esol e he claim. A he end o ha pe-
iod, and i he claim was un esol ed, he pa ies could p oceed o he Employmen T ibunal o
adjudica ion. This phase expe ienced backlogs o abou a yea be o e he case p oceeded o a
hea ing. Du ing his pe iod, ACAS was again igge ed o es a he concilia ion p ocess.
20 ILO Wo king Pape 142
ACAS was expe iencing an app oxima ely 11 pe cen yea -on-yea inc ease in he numbe o
cases ha i was equi ed o add ess. I had he e o e become impe a i e o de elop a case man-
agemen ha could suppo he dispu e esolu ion p ocess. When ACAS commenced de elop-
men o i s digi al case managemen sys em, i had limi ed echnical capabili y in de eloping
new sys ems. I had he e o e buil his capabili y o e ime. This had howe e esul ed in he
es ablishmen o an in e nally ained in o ma ion echnology eam wi h a s ong unde s and-
ing o he wo k o ACAS and he use s o ACAS se ices. I has also esul ed in a educed need
o ex e nal con ac o s.
The s yling o he ACAS websi e, and he o m o lodge a dispu e, we e modelled on he go .
uk websi e, which was a highly acclaimed websi e. The o m o lodge a dispu e was comple ed
and submi ed online. Once submi ed, i could no longe be accessed. Once ACAS ecei ed he
o m, i con ac ed he employe o in o m hem o he claim. This assis ed o gauge, p io o he
commencemen o he concilia ion p ocess, whe he o no he employe was willing o en e
in o a concilia ion p ocess.
This was impo an o mo e e ec i ely manage he deploymen o concilia o s, who could spend
subs an ial ime wi h he claiman only o subsequen ly disco e ha he employe was no will-
ing o pa icipa e. The p io con ac ing o o he employe he e o e acili a ed a mo e e icien
deli e y o ACAS se ices. Wi h ega d o employe s, ACAS had a “la ge employe ” lis . This lis
included banks, supe ma ke chains, and he ci il se ice amongs o he . La ge employe s had
designa ed ocal poin ha ACAS could di ec ly con ac . This assis ed also o expedi e he labou
dispu e esolu ion p ocess.
I was also impo an o ensu e ha he language used in he dispu e lodgemen o m was e y
clea and unambiguous. In his ega d, o example, a ques ion in he o m had p o ided “solici-
o ” as an op ion in espec o ep esen a ion a concilia ion p oceedings. This c ea ed con usion
gi en ha claiman s we e using o he ypes o legal ep esen a i es who we e no speci ically
solici o s. “Solici o ” was he e o e eplaced wi h “legal ep esen a i e”. This ype o i e a ion and
use es ing was he e o e essen ial o ensu e con inuous imp o emen s in se ice o e ings. In
his ega d, use es ing had signi ican ly con ibu ed o enhancing he e iciency o ACAS´s case
managemen sys em and dispu e esolu ion se ices.
A u he example o illus a e he impo ance o use es ing ela ed o an ea lie dispu e lodge-
men o m used by ACAS. This o m had equi ed claiman s o p o ide e y basic de ails o hei
complian . Each claiman would hen hen mee wi h a case p epa a ion eam who would cap-
u e he emaining in o ma ion. This was ound o ha e been was e ul and unp oduc i e. The
no i ica ion o m was he e o e e ised o include su icien in o ma ion as a basis o he concil-
ia o o immedia ely commence wo k. The case p epa a ion eam he e o e now equi ed only
12 people, om he o iginal 35. This has eed up he emaining 23 s a o pu sue o he ac i -
i ies in ACAS, u he acili a ing he be e use o s a esou ces and enhancing he e iciency
o ACAS se ices.
ACAS, when de eloping i s digi al case managemen sys em, had simila ly unde aken signi i-
can p io esea ch and de elopmen . Based on his esea ch Mic oso Dynamics was secu ed
as he so wa e o choice. Using his pla o m, a e y basic case managemen sys em was ini-
ially de eloped as a basis o u he es ing and de elopmen . Fo es ing pu poses, a small
in e nal eam was assembled in o a model o ice” which six concilia o s, s a o do alloca ions
and a manage . This eam hen wo ked on li e cases and p o ided eedback as hey p og essed.
Th ough ha eedback, ACAS wo ked o expand i s sys em capabili y and de elop i mo e p op-
e ly. S a we e hen ained, and he sys em was deployed ac oss he o ganisa ion. The use o
21 ILO Wo king Pape 142
Mic oso Dynamics allowed o he use o Mic oso 's con inued imp o emen s o he sys em.
Mic oso was now g adually un olling AI in o he sys em.
They we e also imp o ing he way in which emails we e managed, including in espec o access
and s o age. The e was a egula upg ading o Mic oso Dynamics wice a yea , in which ACAS
had no ole. Howe e , ACAS used hese imp o emen s as oppo uni ies o enhance i s own se -
ices o i s clien s.
Rega ding he alloca ion o cases, ACAS had an au oma ed case alloca ions p ocess. Once he
no i ica ion o m was ecei ed, he sys em assesses he o m. Based on he in o ma ion ha was
p o ided, i was de e mined whe he o no he claiman sough concilia ion. I his was no e-
ques ed, hen in mos case, he case was closed on he ACAS side.
I concilia ion was eques ed, bu i some in o ma ion was lacking, hen he claiman was con-
ac ed ia email o ob ain he ou s anding in o ma ion. This also assis ed o accu a ely ca ego-
ise he case in e ms o , o example, wha i was abou , whe he i was submi ed in ime (i.e.
wi hin h ee mon hs o he inciden , e c. Once all he in o ma ion had been ob ained, i was de-
e mined i a sui able concilia o was a ailable. This was based on c i e ia such as he complain
ca ego y (e.g. wages owed disc imina ion, equal pay, un ai dismissal, edundancy, e c), a aila-
ble concilia o s, hei capabili y, aining ha hey ha e ecei ed, hei g ade, and hei caseload
du ing he week. The sys em would hen au oma ically alloca e he case.
I a sui able concilia o was no a ailable, he case would join a queue. Gi en he ising numbe
o cases, au oma ed case alloca ion has been ound o be mo e di icul o implemen . Fu he
de elopmen was he e o e unde way o enable he sys em o be e manage a queue.
The case managemen sys em was also designed o accommoda e non-linea p ocesses o al-
low o g ea e lexibili y in he labou dispu e esolu ion p ocess. Fo example, i no esponse
had been ecei ed om he employe , hen he p ocess would emain a an ini ial s age; o he
employe may ha e declined o pa icipa e, in which case he sys em would mo e o he e y
end o he p ocess wi hou any discussions ha ing being held. An ACAS ce i ica e would hen
be issued, allowing he claiman o mo e he p ocess o he Employmen T ibunal. In some cas-
es, he employe migh ask o e iew he complain be o e esponding o ACAS on whe he hey
wished o engage, o hey could choose o engage and open up discussions, o hey may e en
be p epa ed o he complain and immedia ely espond wi h an o e .
The case managemen sys em he e o e needed o accommoda e his ange o possibili ies, and
o skip o he app op ia e s age/sec ion. This was also impo an in ins ances whe e i had no
been possible o esol e a dispu e, and a ce i ica e had been issued o his e ec . Pa ies may
howe e , wi hin a p esc ibed pe iod, e e o ACAS o again a emp o concilia e he dispu e
p io o escala ing he ma e o he Employmen T ibunal.
ACAS´s case managemen sys em was designed o be as use iendly as possible. In his ega d,
i included unc ionali ies ha allowed o he gene a ion o summa y no es o discussions, as well
as elephone calls wi h pa ies. I also p o ided an op ion o case summa ies o be gene a ed.
Concilia o s could addi ionally “pin” emails ha hey conside ed o be o pa icula impo ance.
The sys em would also gene a e a comple e ch onological eco d o e e y ac i i y on he case.
This included any ac ion, including au oma ed ac ions, emails ha we e sen and elephone calls.
This p o ided a comp ehensi e ecosys em o suppo he wo k o he concilia o s. They could
make hei elephone calls, send emails, make no es and igge he se lemen documen a ion
28 ILO Wo king Pape 142
XConclusion
The wo kshop p o ided he ep esen a i es o he pa icipa ing coun ies wi h a sound unde -
s anding o digi al case managemen sys ems, and he p ocess o de eloping and implemen -
ing such sys ems. The esou ce pe sons played a key ole in building his unde s anding and ad-
d essing any misconcep ions ha may ha e exis ed on he bene i s o digi al case managemen
sys ems e sus pape -based sys ems. The wo kshop also culmina ed in pa icipa ing coun ies
mapping hei cu en pape -based dispu e esolu ion wo k lows, and unde aking an ini ial
mapping o wo k lows ha could be digi ised.
In addi ion o de eloping hese ini ial wo k lows, his p ocess also con ibu ed o he po en ial
alignmen o case managemen wo k lows ac oss di e en depa men s wi h esponsibili y o
labou dispu e esolu ion, as well as be ween cen al and s a e le el go e nmen . In his ega d,
o example, Bangladesh de eloped a wo k low ha mo e clea ly in eg a ed he dispu e eso-
lu ion ac i i ies o he Depa men o Labou and he Depa men o Inspec ions o Fac o ies
and En e p ises, wi h ha o he Minis y o Labou and Employmen . India´s wo k low c ea ed
mo e explici links be ween he cen al Minis y o Labou and Employmen and s a e-le el la-
bou depa men s.
As a nex s ep, h ough p ojec s in Bangladesh, S i Lanka and India, he wo k lows will be mapped
and de eloped u he and a p ocess will be ini ia ed by he ele an ILO Coun y O ices, o de-
elop digi al case managemen sys ems based on hese e ined wo k lows.
I is in ended ha a Sou h Asia pla o m would be es ablished comp ising hese h ee coun ies,
oge he wi h Nepal, o sha e lea ning and expe iences in he de elopmen o hei espec i e
digi al case managemen sys ems. Sou he n A ica was also in he p ocess o es ablishing a simi-
la pla o m comp ising Namibia, Leso ho and Eswa ini, wi h echnical suppo om he ILO and
he CCMA. In o ma ion exchange, ini ially be ween Sou h Asia and Sou he n A ica in pa icula ,
gi en he simila i y o legisla i e con ex s and ac i i ies, will be acili a ed by he ILO so as o en-
hance in o ma ion exchange and collabo a ion.
This wo kshop immedia ely ollowing he ILO T ipa i e Technical Mee ing on Access o Labou
Jus ice o All: P e en ion and esolu ion o labou dispu es | In e na ional Labou O ganiza ion
(17-21 Feb ua y 2025). The Conclusions adop ed by he ipa i e mee ing emphasised he need
o “enhancing e o s o collec da a and s a is ics ele an o LDPR (…); p o iding suppo o
cons i uen s in his a ea, including h ough he be e use o digi alized adminis a i e eco ds;
unde aking a comp ehensi e e iew o a ailable da a sou ces, me hods (including legal needs
su eys) and possible indica o s o measu e he e ec i eness o access o labou jus ice; and
s eng hening i s engagemen wi h mul ila e al pa ne s in ela ion o exis ing global indica o s
on access o jus ice, such as SDG indica o 16.3.3.”
I is expec ed ha he digi alisa ion o case managemen sys ems o LDPR ins i u ions will help
in ad ancing access o labou jus ice, enhancing ins i u ional pe o mance and con ibu ing o
imp o ed da a collec ion on ypes and subjec s o dispu es, and ends in hese a eas as eques -
ed by he T ipa i e Technical Mee ing.
29 ILO Wo king Pape 142
Annex
Annex 1 : h ps://www.ilo.o g/si es/de aul / iles/2025-04/Annex%201_Pa icipan %20Lis _0.pd
Annex 2 : h ps://www.ilo.o g/si es/de aul / iles/2025-04/Annex%202%20Bangkok%20CSM%20
Wo kshop_0.pd
Annex 3: h ps://www.ilo.o g/si es/de aul / iles/2025-04/Annex%203%20Bangkok%20CSM%20
Wo kshop.pd
30 ILO Wo king Pape 142
Re e ences
1. P esen a ion o he Ad iso y, Concilia ion and A bi a ion Se ice o he Uni ed Kingdom, ILO
2025 Sou h-Sou h and T iangula Coope a ion wo kshop on digi al case managemen sys-
ems, Feb ua y 2025
2.
P esen a ion o he Go e nmen o Bangladesh on i s labou dispu e esolu ion sys em, Minis y
o Labou and Employmen , ILO 2025 Sou h-Sou h and T iangula Coope a ion wo kshop on
digi al case managemen sys ems, Feb ua y 2025
3. P esen a ion o he Commission o Concilia ion, Media ion and A bi a ion o Sou h A ica,
ILO 2025 Sou h-Sou h and T iangula Coope a ion wo kshop on digi al case managemen
sys ems, Feb ua y 2025
4. P esen a ion o he on i s labou dispu e esolu ion sys em he Go e nmen o Cambodia,
Minis y o Labou and Voca ional T aining, ILO 2025 Sou h-Sou h and T iangula Coope a ion
wo kshop on digi al case managemen sys ems, Feb ua y 2025
5. P esen a ion o he on i s labou dispu e esolu ion sys em he Go e nmen o Eswa ini,
Minis y o Labou and Employmen , ILO 2025 Sou h-Sou h and T iangula Coope a ion wo k-
shop on digi al case managemen sys ems, Feb ua y 2025
6. P esen a ion o he Fai Wo k Commission o Aus alia, ILO 2025 Sou h-Sou h and T iangula
Coope a ion wo kshop on digi al case managemen sys ems, Feb ua y 2025
7. P esen a ion o he on i s labou dispu e esolu ion sys em he Go e nmen o India, Minis y
o Labou and Employmen , ILO 2025 Sou h-Sou h and T iangula Coope a ion wo kshop on
digi al case managemen sys ems, Feb ua y 2025
8.
P esen a ion o he on i s labou dispu e esolu ion sys em he Kingdom o Leso ho, Di ec o a e
o Dispu e P e en ion And Resolu ion, ILO 2025 Sou h-Sou h and T iangula Coope a ion
wo kshop on digi al case managemen sys ems, Feb ua y 2025
9. P esen a ion o he Labou Inspec ion and he Fu u e o Technology Sys em o he ILO, ILO
2025 Sou h-Sou h and T iangula Coope a ion wo kshop on digi al case managemen sys-
ems, Feb ua y 2025
10. P esen a ion o he on i s labou dispu e esolu ion sys em he Go e nmen o Malaysia,
Minis y o Human Resou ces, ILO 2025 Sou h-Sou h and T iangula Coope a ion wo kshop
on digi al case managemen sys ems, Feb ua y 2025
11. P esen a ion o he on i s labou dispu e esolu ion sys em he Go e nmen o Namibia,
Minis y o Labou , Indus ial Rela ions, ILO 2025 Sou h-Sou h and T iangula Coope a ion
wo kshop on digi al case managemen sys ems, Feb ua y 2025
12.
P esen a ion o he on i s labou dispu e esolu ion sys em he Go e nmen o Nepal, Minis y
o Labou , Employmen and Social Secu i y, ILO 2025 Sou h-Sou h and T iangula Coope a ion
wo kshop on digi al case managemen sys ems, Feb ua y 2025
13. P esen a ion o he on i s labou dispu e esolu ion sys em he Go e nmen o Philippines,
Depa men o Labo and Employmen , ILO 2025 Sou h-Sou h and T iangula Coope a ion
wo kshop on digi al case managemen sys ems, Feb ua y 2025
14. P esen a ion o he on i s labou dispu e esolu ion sys em he Go e nmen o S i Lanka,
Minis y o Labo and Fo eign Employmen , ILO 2025 Sou h-Sou h and T iangula Coope a ion
wo kshop on digi al case managemen sys ems, Feb ua y 2025
31 ILO Wo king Pape 142
15. Summa y eco d o p oceedings, ILO T ipa i e Technical Mee ing on Access o Labou Jus ice
o All: P e en ion and esolu ion o labou dispu es, Feb ua y 2025
16.
Conclusions o he ILO T ipa i e Technical Mee ing on Access o Labou Jus ice o All: P e en ion
and esolu ion o labou dispu es, Feb ua y 2025
32 ILO Wo king Pape 142
Acknowledgemen s
This epo is he esul o a join e o be ween he Social Dialogue, Labou Rela ions and Go e nance
o Wo k B anch (LABGOV) o he Go e nance and T ipa ism Depa men (GOVERNANCE), ILO
Coun y O ice o Bangladesh and he ILO In e na ional T aining Cen e in Tu in (ITC-ILO).
The wo kshop on which his epo is based was la gely unded by he Labou Adminis a ion
and Wo king Condi ions Clus e (LAWC) o he Coun y O ice o Bangladesh, wi h he suppo
o he Coun y Di ec o , M Tuomo Pou iainen; he P og amme Manage o he LAWC Clus e , M
Nee an Ramju han and LAWC colleagues and M Kadi Albab Chowdhu y. Ms Nandini Chowdhu y
o he LAWC Clus e ensu ed he e ec i e communica ion o he wo kshop. Ms Ve a Paque e-
Pe digao, Di ec o o he GOVERNANCE Depa men and Ms Lie e Ve bo en (BRANCH Chie o
LABGOV) p o ided s ong suppo o he con ening o he wo kshop.
Wo kshop discussions we e en iched by he pa icipa ion o Ms P amo Wee aseke a o he ILO
Coun y O ice o S i Lanka and he Maldi es, M Vaibha Raaj o he Coun y O ice o India
and M Sau abh Shah o he Coun y O ice o Nepal. Thei pa icipa ion was made possible
wi h he suppo o Ms Michiko Miyamo o, Di ec o o he Coun y O ice o India and Decen
Wo k Team o Sou h Asia; Ms Joni Simpson, Di ec o o he Coun y O ice o S i Lanka and
he Maldi es and M Numan Ozcan, Coun y Di ec o o Nepal. M Gei Tons ol and Ms Rabia
Razzaque we e key o acili a ing Pakis an´s pa icipa ion. M Khalid Hassan, Coun y Di ec o o
Philippines acili a ed he pa icipa ion o he Go e nmen o Philippines. Ms Wimon Pumsa ai,
Ope a ions Assis an in DWT-Bangkok, p o ided dedica ed and i eless suppo o ensu e ha
highly e icien logis ics was p o ided o he wo kshop.
Technical suppo a he wo kshop was p o ided by M Limpho Mando o, Specialis o Social
Dialogue and Labou Adminis a ion in he ILO Decen Wo k Team o Sou he n A ica and M
A un Kuma , Social Dialogue and Collec i e Ba gaining Specialis in he Decen Wo k Team o
Sou h-Eas Asia.
In aluable specialised echnical guidance and suppo on case managemen was p o ided by
he wo kshop esou ce pe sons, namely M M Nkosikhona Nkosi, Chie In o ma ion O ice o
he Commission o Concilia ion, Media ion and A bi a ion in Sou h A ica; M Daniel Wu s ho n,
Ac ing Di ec o - Da a and Digi al Se ices o he Fai Wo k Commission o Aus alia; A o ney
Paul Vincen W. Año e , he Assis an Sec e a y o he Depa men o Labou and Employmen in
Philippines; Ms Rumsha Shahzad, Technical O ice o Compliance and Technology in he LABGOV
B anch and M S ewa Gee, Head o Indi idual Dispu e Resolu ion in he Ad iso y, Concilia ion
and A bi a ion Se ice o he Uni ed Kingdom.
The ac i e pa icipa ion o ep esen a i es o he pa icipa ing coun ies g ea ly en iched wo k-
shop discussions. Ms Vale ie an Goe hem, Labou Law Specialis in he LABGOV B anch kindly
e iewed he epo and p o ided aluable eedback ha assis ed o en ich i . Ms Delphine Bois´s
assis ance wi h he design and publica ion o he epo is also much app ecia ed.
Go e nance and T ipa ism Depa men
(GOVERNANCE)
Labou Adminis a ion, Labou Inspec ion
and Occupa ional Sa e y and Heal h B anch
(LABADMIN/OSH)
In e na ional Labou O ganiza ion
Rou e des Mo illons 4
1211 Gene a 22
Swi ze land
XAd ancing social jus ice, p omo ing decen wo k
The In e na ional Labou O ganiza ion is he Uni ed Na ions agency o he wo ld o wo k. We b ing oge he go e nmen s, employe s and wo ke s
o imp o e he wo king li es o all people, d i ing a human-cen ed app oach o he u u e o wo k h ough employmen c ea ion, igh s a wo k,
social p o ec ion and social dialogue.
I S B N 9789220420805
9HSTCMA*ecaia +
9 789220 420805
Con ac de ails
