THE Leader’s Forum, a bipartite gathering of Philippine employer and trade union representatives, expressed its full support for the ratification of an international treaty that aims to end violence and harassment in the workplace.
In a joint statement Friday, the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (Ecop), Federation of Free Workers, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa, Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (Philexport) and the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines commended the Senate for its concurrence in ratifying the International Labor Organization’s Convention 190 (C190).
According to the labor and business groups, “C190 is an important pillar to support initiatives aimed at addressing violence and harassment in the world of work.”
They noted that the scope of the treaty “from the workplace to the home and everything in between – promises comprehensive social protection for working people, especially women.”
The signatories to the joint statement underscored the importance of having an “appropriate policy environment” that must set sustainability as “necessary,” while enabling the workforce to “fully enjoy” their lives.
“To this end, governments, employers, and trade unions have the common responsibility to put-up people-centric, equitable, and just policies and practices that cover the world of work,” the trade and labor groups stressed.
According to a statement posted on the website of the Senate last December 2023, the upper chamber concurred with the Philippines’s ratification of the International Labor Organization (ILO) convention addressing violence and harassment in the world of work.
“Voting 20-0-0,members of the chamber approved on third and final reading Proposed Resolution No. 877, concurring on the ratification of the ILO Convention No. 190, or the “Convention Concerning the Elimination of Violence and Harassment in the World of Work” (ILO C190),” the statement read.
Committee on Foreign Relations chairperson Senator Imee Marcos said the ILO C190 is the “first international treaty” to recognize the fundamental right of people to a work free from violence and harassment, including gender-based violence and harassment.
Marcos noted the Convention covers the entire world of work whether in the public or private sector, regardless of the workplace and status of employment, as well as persons in training, interns and apprentices, volunteers, and job applicants.
“The Convention will also help our OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) who are unaware of how they will hold abusive employers liable and those who fear they will be bullied if they report to authorities,” Marcos said in her sponsorship speech.
Under the Violence and Harassment Convention, the Senate noted in its statement that member-states are urged to adopt, in accordance with national laws and circumstances and in consultation with employers’ and workers’ organizations, “an inclusive, integrated, and gender-responsive approach for the prevention and elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work.”
Its accompanying Recommendation No. 206, meanwhile, urges countries to promote the “effective” recognition of the right to collective bargaining as a means of preventing and addressing violence and harassment, the upper chamber said.
“The ratification of the ILO C190 will fortify the Philippine government’s mandate and policy in promoting and protecting the rights of Filipino workers, locally and overseas, by pushing for a work environment with zero tolerance for violence and harassment,” the adopted resolution stated.#