THE Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) said at an international conference in Switzerland that it sees improving compliance by small businesses as key to raising overall labor standards in the Philippines.
Speaking at the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Labor Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma was discussing the department’s strategies with Manuela Tomei, the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) assistant director general for the Governance, Rights, and Dialogue Cluster.
The Philippines is in the process of implementing ILO Convention 190 or the Violence and Harassment Convention of 2019.
Mr. Laguesma also discussed collaboration with Malaysia’s Minister of Human Resources Steven Sim Chee Keong on an upcoming worker rehabilitation center in Tanay, Rizal. Malaysia operates a Health and Rehabilitation Center with a similar mission.
Malaysia and the Philippines are open to working together to support workers with special needs and ensure smooth reintegration into the workforce, DoLE said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the SENTRO Deputy Secretary-General and the head of the Philippine Workers’ Delegation to the ILC Joanna Bernice S. Coronacion alleged that the government is showing “blatant disregard” for worker welfare.
“This ongoing crisis has been made possible by the government’s unwillingness to dismantle the architecture of impunity established under (former President Rodrigo R.) Duterte,” she said in her speech in Geneva.
Ms. Coronacion said poor labor conditions in the Philippines threaten to undermine the government’s efforts to attract investment.
“Investors are looking for stable, fair, and just environments to place their capital. Our continued poor ranking undermines these efforts and could potentially drive away much-needed economic opportunities,” she added.
She urged the government to face the reality of labor rights violations, such as the killing of trade unionists, so called red-tagging (the practice of linking activists to the Communist movement), abductions, surveillance, and various forms of harassment.
The 112th International Labour Conference requires countries to send a tripartite delegation representing the government, employers, and workers.
It started on June 2 and will conclude on June 15.
The ILC acts as the International Parliament of Labor, establishing policies and labor standards for the ILO. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana
