The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (“Guidelines”) offer an authoritative international framework for responsible business conduct. Workers are the first impacted by international business operations and supply chains.
The Guidelines are government recommendations for how an enterprise should approach human rights, labour rights, environmental stewardship, consumer rights, effective processes for risk-based due diligence, tax obligations, and competitive business practices throughout an enterprise’s value chain.
The Guidelines Part II establishes a network of National Contact Points (“NCPs”) within national governments to promote and defend the Guideline standards. NCPs offer a uniquely valuable process for non-judicial dispute resolution with a capacity to address concerns on a multinational scale.
Active trade union specific instances in progress appear below. Trade union affiliates and partners can register to gain complete access to the searchable database of cases filed since 2001 and use the trade union NCP specific instance generating form.
Trade Union Specific Instance in Progress (25 January 2022)
14
In Progress
224
Total Trade Union Specific instances (2001 – present)
138
Accepted (62% Acceptance rate)
>13 million
Global number of workers at Multinational Enterprises with NCP Specific instances since 2011
Recent OUTCOME
McDonald’s, APG, NBIM & IUF, EFFAT, SEIU accepted for further examination by NCPs in Norway and Netherlands related to due diligence obligations of NBIM (Norway) and APG (Netherlands). McDonald’s refused the US NCP offer to assist with mediation of the issues raised in the specific instance.
Recent FILING
Kozuva Group (dba Favori) v FESTU, ITUC and ITF filed at the Turkish NCP on 22 September 2021. The FESTU alleges that Kozuva violated the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on general practices and employment and industrial relations by refusing to bargain with FESTU as the representative trade union for collective bargaining, confirmed by the Somali labour ministry
Eligibility for registration and access to mneguidelines.tuac.org is made exclusively available to the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD ("TUAC"), its affiliated trade unions and partners.
The Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the OECD is an interface for trade unions with the OECD. It is an international trade union organisation which has consultative status with the OECD and its various committees.