The employee representative role: social dialogue and employee representation

Day 1: the legal framework for employment

Module 1: identify statutory sources of employee representation

• The Ivorian Labour Code: structure, fundamental principles and provisions relating to employee representatives.
• Implementing decrees: focus on Decree No. 2024-901 of 16 October 2024 and its changes compared with former Decree No. 96-207 of 7 March 1996.
• Ministerial orders and circulars: scope and application within the company.

Module 2: use case-law sources

• Labour court decisions: case law on employee representatives, labour disputes and unfair dismissal.
• Judicial interpretation of legislation: using case law to strengthen your arguments.

Module 3: apply collectively agreed sources

• Cross-industry and sectoral collective agreements: scope, specific provisions and relationship with the Labour Code.
• Establishment-level agreements: negotiation, content and effect on work organisation.
• Internal regulations and codes of ethics: employer obligations, employee rights and the employee representative's role in their application.

Module 4: understand working time arrangements

• Defining work cycles: statutory working hours, collective and individual schedules, and possible arrangements.
• Overtime: calculation, remuneration, annual limits and monitoring by employee representatives.

Day 2: the employee representative role

Module 1: understand the employee representative's role in social cohesion

• Workforce thresholds: conditions for establishing employee representation within the company.
• Appointing employee representatives: elections, electoral colleges, term of office and renewal.
• The representative's term of office: termination, resignation, removal and replacement.
• Employee representatives' roles and duties: presenting individual and collective grievances, monitoring labour law compliance and contributing to social dialogue.

Module 2: use the employee representative's responsibilities and means of action

• Means of action: time off for representative duties, freedom of movement within the company, information access, premises and noticeboards.
• General responsibilities: presenting grievances to the employer, referring matters to the Labour Inspectorate and attending mandatory meetings.
• The employer's information obligations: providing required documents and consulting on decisions affecting working conditions.
• Employee representative responsibilities when there is no works council: substitute and extended duties.

Module 3: understand employee representatives' rights and obligations

• Protection of employee representatives: prohibition of discrimination, protection against dismissal and administrative authorisation from the Labour Inspectorate.
• Representative obligations: confidentiality, loyalty, compliance with internal regulations and the duty to represent employees.

Module 4: manage labour disputes through employee representation

• Collective labour disputes: strikes, lockouts, conciliation procedures and the representative's role in resolving tensions.
• Individual disputes: individual grievances, mediation, referral to the Labour Inspectorate and employee support.

Day 3: occupational health and safety

Module 1: understand the Occupational Health and Safety Committee (CSST)

• CSST duties: occupational risk prevention, workplace accident investigations and improvement of working conditions.
• CSST composition: employer representatives, employee representatives, occupational physician and safety officers.
• CSST operations: mandatory meetings, inspections, recommendations and monitoring preventive actions.

Module 2: exercise the rights to withdraw from danger and raise an alert

• The right to withdraw from danger: conditions, procedure, employee protection and the representative's role.
• The right to raise an alert: reporting serious and imminent danger, initiating an investigation and interim protective measures.
• Quality of working life: preventing psychological and sexual harassment, detecting psychosocial risks and supporting victims.

Module 3: fulfil employee representation's alternative health and safety role

• The representative's participation in occupational risk assessment: contributing to the Single Occupational Risk Assessment Document (DUER) and identifying hazards.
• Supporting occupational health and safety policy implementation: relaying employee concerns, monitoring corrective actions and promoting best practices.