- On 24 September, the ILO announced the first three public-private partnerships (PPPs) under its Living Wage Programme. These are with Unilever, amfori and the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA).
- These “landmark agreements” aim to translate the ILO’s 2024 tripartite agreement on wage policies, including living wages into practical action.
- All three PPPs are built around a framework of “developing living wage estimates in line with ILO principles and providing access to a global wage data hub to support evidence-based wage-setting processes in [X partner/member] sourcing countries”.
- The PPPs aim to connect private sector living wage initiatives with national wage-setting institutions as well as collective bargaining and social dialogue initiatives in line with the principles of the 2024 agreement.
Unilever
- ILO-Unilever project: The ILO will convene roundtables in key Unilever sourcing countries involving governments, employers’ and workers’ organisations and living wage initiatives. Participants will develop shared roadmaps for progressively advancing living wages at the national, sectoral and/or company level.
- The project will also develop ILO-aligned living wage estimates and wage data, strengthen national minimum wage and collective bargaining systems, examine the structural causes of low pay, including informality, low productivity and unequal distribution of value.
Amfori
- ILO-amfori project: The ILO will develop living wage estimates and wage data for the key sourcing countries of amfori members and help align amfori’s existing living wage methodology with ILO principles.
- The project will also support governments and social partners to incorporate living wages into national minimum wage systems and collective bargaining frameworks.
- The project runs from July 2026 through to December 2027.
RBA
- ILO-RBA project: The ILO will develop living wage estimates and compile wage data in the key sourcing countries of RBA members.
- Governments and social partners will receive support to integrate living wages into minimum wage systems and collective bargaining.
- The ILO will work with the RBA Living Wage Task Force to align existing approaches with ILO principles and develop RBA-specific guidance. RBA members will be able to use the resulting estimates, wage data and guidance to inform living-wage initiatives in their operations and supply chains.
- The project runs from July 2026 through to December 2027.