PH dropped from ILO shortlist of countries with labor cases, says DOLE

FILE PHOTO: DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines had been dropped from the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) shortlist of countries with labor cases, said the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Tuesday.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in a statement at least 22 ILO-member states with ongoing labor case probes were shortlisted in the preliminary list of 44 countries that were invited to submit information to the Committee on Application of Standards (CAS) At the ongoing International Labor Conference (ILC) in Geneva.

The Philippines, however, was dropped from the said list after ILC noted the progress report of the labor department’s assistance in cases of alleged killings and harassment of unionists.

Bello said that some of the assistance cited was the DOLE’s 16 Regional Tripartite Monitoring Bodies (RTMB) assistance of labor unions and workers in accessing legal remedies available in cases of intimidation, harassment, and “red-tagging.”

The agency also secured complainants’ affidavits, endorsing it to the appropriate office for verification filing of cases — which was done in the reported incidents of harassment and red-tagging of trade unionists in Alcophil Metal Inc. (ALCOPHIL) and Nexperia Philippines Inc. (NEXPERIA).

Similar DOLE assistance were also made in the cases involving union officers at F.Tech Inc. in Laguna, Rose Bakeshop, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Holcim Cement, Coco Davao, and Sky Cable in Davao, among others.

Despite these developments, Bello continued to reaffirm the government’s will to help the ILO in investigating the reported killings and harassment of union leaders and workers.

“We reiterate our readiness to accept the ILO mission’s investigation, as well as our unequivocal willingness to present the developments in our handling of legal assistance to these reported cases of killings and harassment. On top of this, we reaffirm our promotion of freedom of association in the country, which is one of the bedrocks of labor unionism,” Bello said.

He also added that the country is planning to avail ILO’s technical assistance to identify gaps in the exercise of “freedom of association, case conferences with the prosecutorial, investigative, and monitoring arm of the government, enhancement of witness protection programs, social services to the victims, their families and witnesses, and capacity-building activities, among others.

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JPV