Palma to pursue September dialogue for labor, business

The Cebu Archdiocese will initiate a dialogue with the business sector and labor  as part of its commitment to build understanding between the two sectors.

By mid-September, Palma said he will organize a gathering with representatives of both sectors in Cebu.

“In the past, we  met with business circles and their leaders but we decided to include in the gathering the dimension of  workers because these are all related,” Palma told Cebu Daily News last Thursday.

At the time of the interview, Palma was meeting with business chamber representatives at the conference room of his residence.

“I hope we can initiate some understanding between the labor and business sector and of course, how the church can help for a better understanding on certain concerns,” Palma said.

Palma, who is the incoming president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said the church will play a vital role in reaching out to both sectors.

Among the concerns to be discussed in the gathering are the role of labor unions and  their demands for better  working conditions.

“Basically these are issues which are important that we need to talk about,” Palma said.

After the gathering, Palma said they will have an initial assessment of the labor  situation and draft proposals on how to resolve the concerns.

“We have to sit down together and talk about our concerns and see if something good can happen,” he said. Candeze R. Mongaya, Reporter