President of Türkiye's Guidance and Inspection Directorate and Director of Spain's Labour and Social Security Inspectorate

Madrid (ILO News) - As part of the "Workplace Compliance Through Labour Inspection, Guidance and Social Dialogue" project, implemented in collaboration between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Directorate of Guidance and Inspection (DoGI) of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security of Türkiye and funded by the European Union, a study visit to Spain was conducted from 5 to 9 May 2025.

During the visit, the delegation, including Director of DoGI Bekir Aktürk, Deputy Director Resül Yılmaz, Chief Labour Inspector Serkan Koyuncu, Labour Expert from the General Directorate of Labour Burcu Özcan, Legal Advisor of the Hak-İş Confederation Osman Sarı, and Governance and Compliance Officer of the ILO Office for Türkiye Çağla Gün, had the opportunity to observe Spain's practices in workplace compliance, preventive Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) systems, and social dialogue on site.

Study Visit Delegation's Visit to the Spanish Ministry of Labour and Social Economy

Spain was selected as a model country due to its demographic and economic similarities with Türkiye and its well-established generalist labour inspection system. In recent years, Spain's Labour and Social Security Inspectorate (ITSS) has stood out with its multi-stakeholder strategic compliance approaches and innovative, digital-focused inspection tools. In this respect, the visit aimed to draw inspiration from Spain for the strategies being developed under the project in Türkiye.

Visit to CEOE, Spanish Confederation of Employers

During the visit, the delegation held various meetings with institutions including the ILO Office for Spain, the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy, the Directorate General of Labour, the Labour and Social Security Inspectorate (ITSS), the National Institute for Safety and Health at Work (INSST), the Madrid Labour Inspection Office, and the trade union confederation CCOO and employer confederation CEOE. Topics discussed included the role of social dialogue in improving workplace compliance, preventive OSH policies, trade union and collective bargaining structures, promotion of decent work in non-standard forms of employment, awareness-raising campaigns, education policies, and technology and data-supported inspection systems. The delegation also visited the Embassy of Türkiye in Madrid and shared comprehensive information on the objectives and expected outcomes of the meetings held with various Spanish institutions.

Meeting of the Study Visit Delegation and Representatives of the Spanish Ministry of Labour and Social Economy

Participants exchanged experiences by discussing common and unique challenges faced by both countries and exploring scalable and sustainable solutions. This exchange of knowledge contributed to strengthening preventive and strategic approaches within labour inspection systems in both countries, and a joint decision was made to deepen institutional cooperation.

ILO continues its commitment to promoting decent work and strengthening social dialogue worldwide and supports global collaboration and cross-country knowledge exchange through such study visits.