After two years of Covid lockdowns and amid increasing pressures on the classic "9 to five" business model – from zero-hours contracts to telework – voluntary negotiations known as collective bargaining had proved their worth, according to the International Labour Organization’s Director-General Guy Ryder.

"Workers want to keep their heads above the water, as prices rise, as they are right now, and they want to ensure workplace safety and secure the paid sick leave that has proved so critical over the last two years," he told journalists in Geneva Thursday.

"Employers for their part have welcomed agreements that have allowed them to retain skilled and experienced workers so that they could restart, recover and rebound."

Ryder added: "The higher the percentage of employees covered by collective agreements, the lower the wage inequality. And the more equality and diversity there is likely to be in the workplace."

According to a new report by the UN agency, over one in three employees in 98 countries now have their wages, working hours and other professional conditions set by collective agreements.

But there is a considerable variation across countries, the ILO said, ranging from over 75 percent of workers having a collective agreement in many European countries and Uruguay, to below 25 percent, in around half the countries where data was available.

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At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, ILO's Social Dialogue Report 2022 indicated that collective bargaining agreements had helped protect people's jobs and income.

"Collective bargaining has played a crucial role during the pandemic in forging resilience by protecting workers and enterprises, securing business continuity, and saving jobs and earnings," Ryder said, noting that joint accords had also helped allay the concerns of millions of workers by boosting occupational safety and health in the workplace, together with paid sick leave and healthcare benefits.

Flexible working arrangements and leave provisions were negotiated so that workers, particularly women, could balance work with additional care responsibilities relating to school closures or sick family members, he said. "And workers on temporary work had their contracts extended or converted to permanent ones so that they could maintain their earnings."

After two years of upheaval in the workplace caused by the coronavirus, post-pandemic collective agreements have now evolved to reflect the new realities of working from home and other "hybrid" work practices, the ILO director-general said.