AHEAD of the arrival of the High Level Tripartite Mission (HLTM) of the International Labor Organization (ILO) next week, labor groups are asking for the creation of a presidential panel that will handle all cases of freedom of association (FOA) violations.
In a press conference, several labor groups urged the HLTM to call on the Philippine government to establish a Presidential Commission on FOA.
“Workers are calling for the HLTM to urge the government to establish mechanisms to ensure the respect of FOA through the investigation of violations and the proactive prevention of further labor rights abuses,” said Nagkaisa Labor Coalition (NAGKAISA) Chairman Sonny Matula.
“A Presidential Commission (PC) on FOA may be chaired by the President of the Philippines or the Executive Secretary, in his absence, and is composed of government agencies, and representatives from employers and workers,” he added.
In addition, they are also asking for the creation of a Truth Commission that will be tasked to investigate all cases of FOA violations.
Matula said they are also asking the HLTM to push for the strengthening of existing mechanisms by providing the necessary funding, manpower, and other resources required for the effective implementation of labor rights standards in the Philippines.
He said such actions are necessary given the various threats, such as extrajudicial killings, red-tagging, and other forms of trade union repression.
Proof of this, he said, were the 56 cases of labor leader killings from 2016 to 2021.
“These scenarios can be mitigated if the Marcos government will fulfill its responsibilities and obligations towards the full respect of worker’s rights in the country,” said Matula.
The ILO-HLTM is set to visit the Philippines on January 23-27 for a fact-finding mission on the status of labor rights in the country and is expected to hold extensive tripartite consultations and discussions with government, employers, as well as workers’ representatives.
The ILO-HLTM is expected to make recommendations for ensuring compliance with international labor standards in the country.
