NATIONAL TRADE UNION CENTER (NTUC Phl)

NATIONAL TRADE UNION CENTER (NTUC Phl)

NTUC Phl, now with 20 national unions and federations,
with declared 300,000 members, was founded in Quezon City on 18 August 2018.
[DOLE Registration No. 11933 (TUC)-LC]

40% of NTUC Phl members are women; 60% men.
30% of members are young. (2023)

NTUC Phl operates in all regions of the country,
with members in Chemical, energy, mine, metal, and general workers unions;
Agriculture and food, including sugar and banana plantations)
Hotel, restaurants, and catering services, tobacco;
Education and teaching professions;
Skills and services (e-commerce, electricity, finance, gaming, postal, tourism);
Public services;
Building, woodworking, construction;
informal economy; Land transport;
Business process outsourcing/management (BPO/BPM).
[in order of membership size]

NTUC Phl includes
the largest farmers and agriculture workers federation in the country (FFF);
  [FFF Chair Leonardo Montemayor is first nominee of Ang Magsasaka party-list]
the only national banking federation (NUBE, including LandBank, DBP, PSBank, HSBC);
two teachers federations NATOW (private school) and TOPPS (public schools),
the only national postal union with a CBA (POSTAL),
the largest general workers union in the country Obrero Pilipino,
the largest bus transport union PLTIU, and
the two largest gaming (casino – Okada, SM PLC) unions.

NTUC affiliates have members who are past or current LGU officials
or are running for office in the May 2025 elections.

Three of NTUC’s five principal officers are women:
the President, from the teachers union,
the Deputy General Secretary, from a food and logistics union, and
the Assistant Treasurer, from the health and wellness union.
[General Secretary, from the metal, transport, construction sector;
the Treasurer, from the banking union].

Among NTUC Phl leaders: President Fidel Ramos’ executive secretary Ruben Torres, President Gloria Arroyo’s agriculture secretary Leonardo Montemayor, current NWPC Commissioner Milagros Ogalinda. Former Senator Ernesto Herrera was President of NTUC Phl’s predecessor TUCP.

NTUC Phl programs and actions, advocacy, and campaigns pursue its
11-point Labor Agenda and its 18-point Women and Youth Agenda.
The WaY Agenda pointedly directs increased women and youth participation
in trade unions.

NTUC Phl is active in actions towards implementation of the 2024-ratified 
ILO Convention 190 on violence and harassment in the world of work.
NTUC Phl has unions with CBA provisions on negotiating enterprise-based mechanisms against violence and harassment.

NTUC Phl’s has been represented in tripartite government bodies, including
the labor advisory TIPC (at the national, regional, provincial city/municipal levels) and
its executive committee TEC,
the wage and productivity advisory NWPC, and its wage-setting RTWPBs,
the technical education and skills authority TESDA,
the tripartite advisory council of the overseas workers authority POEA,
the agency managing former US bases property BCDA,
the tripartite voluntary administration council TVAC, and
the national planning body NEDA stakeholder chamber on SDGs.

NTUC Phl has programs or projects with the ILO (international Labor Organization),
ITUC AP (with DGB Bildungswerk German foundation, and ATUC), and
JILAF (Japan International Labour Foundation).
NTUC Phl participates in ILO programs and projects, including in
project advisory committees.

NTUC Phl is an associated organization
of the global International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) since 2019.
Its national union affiliates are affiliated with certain global union (industry) federations (GUFs).

NTUC Phl is the Secretariat of the ASEAN Trade Union Council (ATUC) http://aseantuc.org/, the ASEAN entity of 18 national centers in 10 ASEAN countries (except Brunei), plus Timor Leste.
NTUC Phl’s Vice President Ruben Torres is the current ATUC General Secretary.

FFF – Federation of Free Farmers
NUBE – National Union of Banking Employees
NATOW – National Alliance of Teachers and Office Workers
TOPPS – Teachers Organization of the Philippines Public Sector
POSTAL – National Union of Post Office Workers (English translation)
PLTIU – Philippine Lnd Transport Industry Union
WaY – Women and Youth
ILO – International Labor Organization
TIPC – Tripartite Industrial Peace Council
TEC – Technical Executive Committee
NWPC – National Wages and Productivity Commission
RTWPBs – Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards
TESDA – Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
POEA – Philippine Overseas Employment Administration
BCDA – Bases Conversion Development Authority
ITUC – International Trade Union Confederation Asia Pacific
TVAC – Tripartite Voluntary Arbitration Council,
NEDA – National Economic and Development Authority
SDGs – Sustainable Development Goals
ATUC – ASEAN Trade Union Council