Trade unions and associations of household workers unite for domestic workers’ protection in law and practice

June 15, 2010

“Domestic workers are an important component of the workforce and of the economy. They have legitimate issues, needs and rights under existing laws and regulations,” stressed some 25 trade union leaders and advocates from some 20 unions and associations of household workers in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao who participated in the two-day National Trade Union Leaders Conference on Domestic Work last May 20-21, 2010, in Bacolod City. Read more

TUCP pushes for green jobs, decent work

May 28, 2010

By: Fryan E. Abkilan

Surigao del Norte (28 May) - A national workshop for green jobs and decent work was successfully held in Bacolod City recently. Organized by the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) with support from Japan International Labour Foundation (JILAF), the activity documented information on workplace and community-based green jobs and greening practices to contribute to national efforts in developing a green sustainable development strategy in the framework of creating green jobs and promoting decent work.

“TUCP is one with the government in search for practical ways to adapt to climate change,” said TUCP General Secretary Ernesto Herrera.

Also, the workshop sought to push the problem of climate change as a mainstream environmental issue in the workplace and the community.

As climate change being the greatest challenge facing the world today, Herrera urged everyone to act promptly. “If we don’t do anything, temperature will continue to rise,” he said.

Understanding Green Jobs and Decent Work

TUCP Deputy General Secretary Cedric Bagtas defined green jobs, “as jobs that sustains people and the environment.”

He maintained that green jobs can be found in the so called green sectors that include renewable energy (versus fossil fuel energy), public mass transportation (versus road transportation), recycling & pollution control, biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management, among others. He, however, said that not all green jobs are necessarily decent jobs.

“Many green jobs are done in conditions that will be considered ‘indecent’ – low pay, no social protection, poor health and safety standards, exploitative employment relationships & gross violations of employment rights,” Bagtas added.

He stressed that greening should extend to existing jobs that are indecent by all definitions, and that greater efforts should be devoted toward green practices seeking to modify indecent work.

Meanwhile, Socio-Policy Division Director Bro. Toyoji Sugiyama of Japanese Trade Union Confederation (JTUC-RENGO) in his presentation stressed that green jobs lessen the environmental impact of enterprises and economic sectors, ultimately to levels that are sustainable.

Canadian Embassy in Manila declines meeting union leaders on asbestos

April 30, 2010

Manila, Philippines – “The Ambassador has other commitments throughout that day and he will not be able to attend the event or meet with your representatives. He sends his regrets,” was the reply of the Embassy of Canada on the letter of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), Associated Labor Unions (ALU) and Building and Woodworkers International (BWI) inviting or requesting for an appointment with the Ambassador to receive the statement pushing for asbestos ban and urging Canada to stop mining and exporting asbestos during the International Commemoration Day (ICD) on 28 April 2010.

“Canada supplied 93% of Philippines asbestos imports in 2008 alone. Asbestos imports are used in manufacturing various materials and products which expose workers, their families and the public,” said TUCP Education Director Rafael Mapalo. “Will Canada take responsibility for asbestos deaths and diseases in the Philippines? We wanted to know,” added Mapalo.

“Canada must stop asbestos exports to the Philippines. It should not leave the health and safety of workers and their families and the public in the hands of employers engaged in asbestos businesses and the government,” said ALU National Vice President Gerard Seno. “Canadian laws on asbestos are stricter and implementation better than the Philippines’,” added Seno.

“April 28 commemorates the dead and injured workers due to unsafe workplaces. Workplaces around the world must protect workers from health and safety hazards, including from asbestos exposure. Canada should have shown its concern for workers who died or were afflicted with asbestos diseases by accepting the trade union statement on this day,” lamented Apolinar Tolentino of the BWI Asia Pacific Regional Office.

Supporters came in droves

Some 500 workers and other people signed the statement calling for Canada to stop mining and exporting asbestos to the Philippines. The statement also calls for the ratification of ILO Convention 162 on Safety in the Use of Asbestos, fast-tracking the National Program for the Elimination of Asbestos-Related Diseases (NPEAD) and the passage of laws banning asbestos in the Philippines.

The launching of activities five days earlier on 23 April 2010 caught the attention of the public and encouraged more people to sign the statement. The Asbestos Tree – signifying life for the long latency period of asbestos diseases, and death once the disease is diagnosed – at the TUCP main gate along the busy Elliptical Road in Quezon City had to be dressed up every morning to get attention as asbestos messages disappeared every night.

The ICD celebration started with a march of close to 300 people attending a program calling for the ratification of ILO Convention 187 on Promotional Framework on Safety and Health where partners, including the Secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment, the Director of the International Labor Organization Subregional Office for South-East Asia and the Pacific, trade union leaders and employers, supported the call to protect workers in their workplaces, including from asbestos.

The day ended with a candle light procession along Elliptical Road and torch lighting under the Asbestos Tree to light the path towards asbestos ban. – DMT

TUCP to improve health services in barangays

April 29, 2010

CEBU, Philippines – Trade Union Congress of the Philippines Partylist Rep. Raymond Mendoza yesterday said their concerns are not only the issues related to labor, but also the need to improve the health services to the people in the barangays. Read more

Young workers have spoken: Make decent work for youth a reality

April 12, 2010

“Work without respect for trade union rights is never decent,” young workers stressed during the two-day TUCP/ITUC-AP-supported National Youth Conference/Workshop for Decent Work under Global Crisis in March 12-13, 2010 at Kimberly Hotel, Tagaytay City.

The participants were referring to the government and inter-governmental youth employment/training-related programs and their impact and effectiveness on improving opportunities for youth empowerment and access to decent jobs.

The conference reflected on participants’ experiences in these programs and highlighted many areas for improvement particularly on sustainability. “Some of our members are beneficiaries of the Department of Labor and Employment’s Youth Education-Youth Employability (YEYE) project. But since this is only a two-year project, we worry that they cannot finish schooling when the project ends,” shared Joel Centra, focal person of Youth for Empowerment and Solidarity (YES), a local organization of out-of-school youth.

The participants insisted on a regular mechanism for engaging youth and their organizations in youth policy discussions, initiatives and activities. “We should not be treated as mere participants in discussions, but youth should be given opportunities to participate, contribute and benefit from these programs,” stressed Bro. Rey Reyes, union representative of the Associated Labor Unions (ALU).

On linkage between youth programs and decent work, the participants strongly emphasized regard for rights at work as a major component of any (youth) employment program. “We do not appreciate programs that violate our right to organize and collectively bargain. Our organizations have important roles and should be recognized as partners in the implementation of all youth employment programs,” noted Ann Dumaraog, Union Secretary for Education of Kilusan sa Jolibee.

Other identified youth-related priorities include coordination between DOLE field offices and active working youth organizations for identification of (youth) beneficiaries; matching of skills and the inclusion of decent work (particularly rights at work) in youth employment/training programs particularly in DOLE’s YEYE and SPES modules; capacity and knowledge building programs particularly on gender sensitivity, reproductive health, HIV and AIDS prevention, leadership training, sexual harassment, among others; and increasing resources and funding for youth activities.

“The TUCP welcomes these youth programs, and even if mostly temporary, they contribute to efforts in addressing the youth employment challenge. However, we insist that targeted, integrated and sustainable (youth) programs that reflect, understand and consider youth needs and realities and designed and carried out locally by youth themselves, with guidance and assistance from support groups and institutions are the ones needed,” concluded Rafael Mapalo, TUCP Youth Director.

Experts on youth employment issues from the International Labor Organization (ILO), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Japanese Embassy in Manila and the ITUC-AP provided information on government, intergovernmental and trade union responses to protecting and promoting youth employment and their rights.

Some 25 motivated and dedicated youth representatives, leaders and youth advocates from TUCP’s 17 local unions and affiliates across industries including manufacturing, public sector, automotive, services, electronics, transportation, shipping, agriculture, media and informal sector in Luzon and selected areas in Visayas and Mindanao attended the program.

Also view this article at the PIA website.

TUCP, JILAF Complete National Productivity, LMC Workshop

February 25, 2010

DAVAO CITY (22 February) -Thirty trade union leaders from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao completed recently the National Workshop on Productivity and Labor Management Cooperation (LMC), focusing on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Collective Bargaining. Read more

Draft domestic workers’ document developed

January 11, 2010

December 14, 2009, Quezon City — Some 25 youth, women and informal workers, union organizers and activists from three (3) trade union organizations (TUCP, FFW and APL), Informal Sector Coalition of the Philippines (ISP) and Youth for Empowerment and Solidarity (YES) and local unions with domestic workers segments in Luzon and selected regions in Visayas (Cebu) and Mindanao (Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga City) participated in the two-day National Consultation and Workshop on Decent Work for Domestic Workers on December 12-13, 2009 in Manila. Read more

ILO/TUCP Capacity-Building on LSEF and CLS Held

January 11, 2010

December 23, 2009, Quezon City –Two Capacity-Building programs on Labor Standards Enforcement Framework (LSEF) and Core Labor Standards were held on 10-12 December and 21-22 December 2009. Read more

TUCP leading SALT plus actions against the global financial and economic crisis

December 7, 2009

Some 25 trade union leaders from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao participated in a two-day JILAF-sponsored National Workshop on Global Financial Crisis: It’s Impact on Employment and Productivity on October 16-17, 2009, in Cebu City. Read more

TUCP selected for JILAF’s Pilot Program on Developing a Model Manual on Productivity and LMC