To provide decent work and equal opportunities for all, there is a need to strengthen foundations of labour – from labour laws to labour rights including the freedom of association and collective bargaining.  This is the impetus behind the collaboration of the International Labour Organization (ILO) with the European Union (EU) in undertaking trade, employment, and freedom of association projects.

These collaborative projects, according to Ambassador Jessen of the EU Delegation to the Philippines, “promote and advance the ILO International Labour Standards and Decent Work in the context of expanding trade and investments.”

The collaboration has produced various tools, manuals, and reports – which will be made available to various stakeholders – that seek to enhance the Philippines’ institutions of work and harness opportunities for decent and sustainable work as underscored in the Global Commission Report on the Future of Work.    

On April 11, 2019, on the centenary of the ILO, the United Nations agency together with EU, will unveil concrete outputs and results under the EU GSP+ Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining and EU STRENGTHEN Trade and Employment Projects. The results will be made available to stakeholders, the media, and the public in general in a Stakeholders’ Forum.

The tripartite and multisectoral stakeholders of the Freedom of Association (FoA) project highlights the signed Manifesto of Commitment last September 2017. This manifesto committed to respect and observe the ILO Conventions 87 and 98 on the freedom of association and collective bargaining principles. The signatories included representatives from various government agencies such as Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of National Defense (DND). It was also supported by representatives from trade unions, employers’ groups, and other civil society groups.  

During the event, the “2017-2022 National Action Plan on Freedom of Association” will be unveiled. It contains the consolidated plan of actions from responsible government agencies, workers, and employers to promote the better application of Conventions 87 and 98 or the freedom of association and collective bargaining principles in the workplace.  

A study will be discussed during the Stakeholders’ Forum entitled “Addressing Impunity: A review on three existing mechanisms” on the investigation and monitoring of cases of violations on workers’ civil liberties and trade union rights.  This study reviews the operational guidelines and process-structures of the three investigative and prosecutorial mechanisms addressing cases of violations on freedom of association principles in the Philippines. These mechanisms include the 1) DOLE-led NTIPC-Monitoring Body and Regional Tripartite Monitoring Bodies (RTMB); 2) DOJ-led AO35 Inter-Agency Committee; and 3) the CHR-led National Monitoring Mechanisms.

Employers also play a crucial role in ensuring industrial peace.  For them, a “Diagnostics of Compliance with Labor Standards: A Checklist for Small Enterprises” will be provided.  It is an employers’ tool for diagnosing the level of compliance to labour standards among small enterprises and for providing concrete remedies to address compliance issues. 

Other upcoming outputs of the ILO EU GSP+ project on Freedom of Association include the Workers’ Training Manual on Freedom of Association; the Commission on Human Rights Training Manual on Labour Rights and Standards; the DOLE E-Learning Course on Labour Rights and Standards; and a video on Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining. 

On the other hand, the STRENGTHEN project has come up with tools which can assist stakeholders, particularly policy makers.  These tools will ensure that there exists a coherent policy framework aimed at generating and upgrading employment that is based on a clear and shared understanding of how trade policy and other policies complementary to trade such as skills priorities, infrastructure spending and educational reforms are expected to affect employment. These are the following:

a) The Toolkit for assessing the effects of trade on employment which offers a practical approach to answering the question: “How many jobs are expected to be created or destroyed as a result of a given trade policy?”

b) The “Country Report on the Impact of Trade on Employment in the Philippines” which presents how trade policies have impacted decent work and employment outcomes in the Philippines, and how, based on empirical data and evidence, the links between trade policy and decent work principles can be strengthened so that trade can benefit more people in the country.

“As the ILO celebrates its 100th year of existence this year, the Stakeholders’ Forum is not only a timely affair but also a relevant source of updates and developments.  With tripartite social partners as key actors in the promotion of international labour standards in the country and in pursuing a human-centered agenda for the future of work – one where increased investments in the institutions of work are guaranteed through ensured collective representation of workers and employers through social dialogue – there will an environment that is conducive to the enjoyment of the rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining as well as to the creation of decent and productive employment for all,” concluded Khalid Hassan, Director, ILO Country Office Manila.