Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 3) — International Labour Organization (ILO) Director-General Gilbert Houngbo is not in favor of amending the order that formed an inter-agency body that will look into labor-related cases, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said on Monday.
Labor groups have been calling on the government to include them in the Inter-Agency Committee for the Protection of the Freedom of Association and Right to Organize of Workers which was formed under Executive Order no. 23.
The committee was created following a recommendation made by the ILO-High Level Tripartite Mission (ILO-HLTM) to address alleged labor abuses in the country. The inter-agency body is composed of cabinet secretaries from relevant departments, as well as representatives from the National Security Council and the Philippine National Police.
“He (Houngbo) is not in favor of amending the current Executive Order (EO) No. 23,” DOLE officer-in-charge Undersecretary Ernesto Bitonio Jr. told CNN Philippines’ The Source.
Bitonio noted that the body is composed of cabinet-level officials who are in charge of “purely governmental functions of investigation, prosecution and monitoring of actual cases.”
In a message to CNN Philippines, the ILO did not state whether discussions are ongoing on amending EO 23.
The UN agency said it “recognized the need to bring in employers and workers and encougaged greater social dialogue to make progress.”
According to the EO, the powers and functions of the inter-agency body include generating a report about actions taken to ensure efficient and effective implementation of the order, which will be submitted to the president; developing a roadmap containing priority areas, responsibilities, and timeframes consistent with the recommendations of the HLTM; monitoring progress of the action plans; and performing other functions directed by the president.
While the request of labor groups may not be granted, Bitonio assured them that authorities will continue to coordinate with them.
“The Inter-agency council, which incidentally is headed by the executive secretary, vice chair the department of labor and employment secretary, is not averse to inviting as dialogue partners the labor sector so that they can also provide inputs to the process. If they have improvements to make then the IAC will welcome those improvements and will continue to work with them, sharing information as may be necessary or allowed under the rules,” he said.
