LABOR groups are now eyeing to meet with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. by next month before the arrival of the International Labor Organization (ILO) high level tripartite mission (HLTM) in the country.
Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) President Raymond C. Mendoza said Malacañang has yet to provide them a possible date for their request.
“We are still waiting for the schedule [of the President]. We hope it will be next year before the high-level mission comes,” Mendoza told BusinessMirror in an interview.
The HLTM is scheduled to arrive on Jan. 23, 2023 and will look into the alleged over 50 killings of labor unionists as well as the harassments of local labor groups.
Federation of Free Workers (FFW) President Sonny Matula said they hope they to raise all of their priority labor agenda during the meeting with the President.
“We are also proposing a dialogue with the president to discuss our labor agenda and other labor issues including those to be covered by the mission,” Matula said.
Among the issues they will present are reforms in the existing wage mechanism created under Republic Act 6727 of the Wage Rationalization Act; establishment of a robust public employment program; an end to illegal contractualization and trade union repression both in the private and public sector, and the holding of regular labor summits for policy reforms discussion.
Labor groups have criticized how Marcos has yet to disclose his “labor agenda” months after being elected in power.
The planned dialogue with the President was announced by the labor coalitions Nagkaisa and Paggawa and Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) as early as last November, but at that time they have revealed a target date for it.