THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has assured the International Labor Organization (ILO) of the Philippines’ commitment to promoting social justice and other rights being demanded by the country’s labor sector.
In a statement released late last Tuesday, the DOLE said Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma reaffirmed the country’s commitment during the 111th International Labour Convention (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland last June 6.
“The Philippines reiterates its commitment to protecting and promoting workers’ right to self-organization and collective bargaining,” Laguesma said during the ILC.
Proof of this, he said, is the creation of an inter-agency committee as recommended by the High-Level Tripartite Mission (HLTM) on trade union rights recently sent by the ILO to the Philippines.
“The Philippines created an inter-agency committee composed of representatives from the different tripartite bodies,” said Laguesma.
He said they ensured that there is genuine sectoral representation in all existing tripartite mechanisms.
“All newly-appointed worker and employer representatives have come from the nominees of our social partners,” said Laguesma.
To recall, the ILO-HLTM was in the country last January to probe the long-standing issues that have been raised against the Philippine government regarding its implementation of ILO Convention 87, or the guarantee of Freedom of Association and protection of the right to organize.
As a result, the ILO-HLTM issued a recommendation for “a single presidentially mandated body be established and empowered to comprehensively identify and address through a specified plan of action, including time frames, resources, and accountability, all outstanding cases of alleged labor-related EJKs and abductions.”
