Pushing for better protection of elder workers and gaining a more equitable country representation will be among the top agenda of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) during the country’s chairmanship of the International Labor Organization (ILO) government group.
In an online press briefing, Labor attaché in Geneva, Switzerland Cheryl Daytec-Yañgot said this will be included in the list of their additional agenda in the ILO, along with the protection of migrant workers and indigenous people.
In a report to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Geneva said the Philippines formally assumed the post last week after completing its vice chairmanship position. This is a historic moment for the Philippines, which is the first non-regular member country of the ILO to take such role.
This marks a significant shift in the policy-making global tripartite body that has been traditionally led by big, powerful member-countries, DOLE said.
Yañgot said Secretary Bello has issued instructions for them to include the interest of older person “every time we craft policies in ILO.”
International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB) Director Alice Visperas said they opted to prioritize senior citizens since they are among the most vulnerable during the economic disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to the displacement of millions of workers worldwide.
“Actually, it was not only the Secretary who is pushing for this, but also the other labor ministers in the recent International Labor Conference,” Visperas told the BusinessMirror in a phone interview.
Governance reform
The idea was introduced after the country assumed the chairmanship of the ILO government body during the International Labor Conference (ILC) last month, which gives it considerable influence in setting the agenda of the labor-arm of the United Nations.
As the head of the government body, the country is developing consensus among the ILO member-states, as well as serving as mediator between the employee and employer groups, Yañgot said.
Yañgot considered this as a significant appointment since the country is not an ILO “regular member” and “deputy member,” which means the country has no speaking right and voting right in the said international body.
Currently, only countries with industrial importance are given voting powers and speaking rights in ILO, she said.
“This [system] is what we want to be abolished, to give a voice to smaller countries [in the ILO],” Yañgot said.
Amendment ratification
One of the needed steps to make the proposed reform take effect is through the ratification of the 1986 amendment to the ILO Constitution, which will “democratize ILO governance” by increasing the size of the governing body from 56 to 112.
“It’s been more than 30 years since the amendment was passed but it still has yet to take effect because of the lack [of countries] that ratified it,” Yañgot said.
The Philippines is currently among the countries that have yet to ratify the said amendment.
Yañgot said DOLE already coordinated with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for the country to finally ratify the proposed amendment.