Employers’ reform wish list to be presented to next gov’t

PRIORITY AREAS the next administration should tackle within its first 100 days in office were identified yesterday by the country’s largest employers’ group at the conclusion of its annual conference.

The Employers Confederation of the Philippines’ (ECOP) resolution was received by outgoing President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who attended the final day of the organization’s 13th national conference.

The document, updated from that released to media on Tuesday, now includes human rights and climate change as part of issues that need policy reforms.

Retained were calls for amendments to the Labor Code, including provisions that bar the reduction of benefits for workers and prohibit women to work on night shifts. The ECOP also wants changes to rules on contracting and subcontracting, as well as the implementation of policies to ease the cost of doing business and increase transparency.

Also on the list are rules mandating the speedier resolution of labor cases

“Hopefully, we want this to be pushed through within the first 100 days of the new administration considering the urgency of work competition and the utmost importance of saving the industry,” ECoP Director Alfonso G. Siy told BusinessWorld, referring to changing business conditions triggered by closer trade ties.

“We’ll try to work this out with the new government and we’re hoping that it prioritizes [the ECoP’s] resolutions in its legislative agenda,” Mr. Siy said.

The group will present the resolution again to the government at an October conference which will be organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The ECoP included in its final resolution the issue of human rights, which it said should be a “tool for industrial peace” that benefits both the employer and the worker.

Conference speaker Leila M. de Lima, chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), said the panel’s mandate allowed it to cover human rights violations involving businesses.

“For a long time, the CHR focused primarily on the obligations of government and armed opposition groups. Businesses were outside our radar. But given the continuing global shift to apply human rights norms to private companies … we will monitor the actions of companies and engage constructively with the business community,” Ms. de Lima said during her speech.

“[W]e also take cognizance of cases where the alleged perpetrators are non-state actors such as private businesses, non-government organizations, armed groups, unions, etc.,” she said.

Employers also vowed to aid efforts to combat climate change and to “address vulnerabilities and social inequities.” They added, “investments and jobs should not only be green but also have positive social impact.”

In her speech, Mrs. Arroyo expressed gratitude to the ECoP for working with the government towards achieving economic stability.

“When we met, at a time we met at the beginning of the global crisis, the earlier projection of job losses in the Philippines was over 200,000 jobs due to the recession,” she said.

“But with the measures instituted by DoLE [Department of Labor and Employment] and ECoP like flexible work arrangements, actual job losses turned out to be only about one-fourth of the forecast and most of those job losses were temporary and many of the dislocated have regained their jobs within the year,” she claimed.

“A major source of our economic strength is our harmonious industrial relation system … because you, our employers and labor leaders, are able to communicate with one another in a professional and open manner without resulting to bluster and threats.” — Ma. Aizl Camille B. Cabarles, Businessworld