THE International Labor Organization last Tuesday accepted Sen. Raffy Tulfo’s proposed amendment for migrant workers to have access to “relevant labor protection information” in the Draft Conclusions of the Committee on Labor Protection.
In a statement, Tulfo said his proposed amendment was approved after defending it before representatives of different countries who attended the 111th annual International Labor Conference from June 5 to 16 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Tulfo, Senate Committee on Migrant Workers chairman, said his amendment is essential to achieve universal and effective labor protection for all workers, which is in line with the ILO’s advocacy.
He said Japan and the workers’ and employers’ groups supported his amendment and was immediately passed.
He said the amendment was based on his personal experiences in his daily public service radio program wherein seafarers who asked for help regarding their missing relatives complained that shipowners and authorities from countries investigating the case refused to share vital information with them.
Tulfo, vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor, also opposed a proposed amendment by an employer’s group to remove the limits on employers’ working hours and overtime by merely regulating it instead of providing clear limits and standards.
In his opposition, Tulfo cited that security guards in the Philippines are overworked, often forced to work 20 hours straight and even without rest days, and do not have a healthy work-life balance.
He said security guards in the country are being pressured to accept longer working hours, compromising their time for family and for their own personal care.
Tulfo said the long working hours lead to health and safety issues which affect their quality of work, the reason why he maintained that there should be limits on the working hours of employees locally and abroad.
The leader of the labor group was convinced by Tulfo’s argument, which prompted it to withdraw the proposed amendment.
