DOLE unveils ‘Decent Work Agenda’

by Lee Ann Pattugalan
from People’s Tonight

IN a bid to strengthen multi-sectoral collaboration in the efforts to provide for more full, decent, and productive employment for Filipino workers, the Department of Labor and Employment yesterday launched the third cycle of the Philippine agenda on decent work.

Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said labor, management, government and other stakeholders collaborated closely in implementing the Philippine Decent Work Common Agenda 2008-2010 which aims to reduce decent work gaps by enhancing the Filipino workers’ productivity, competitiveness, representation and equity at work.

The agenda contains the national action program on decent work.

Roque said the launching of the decent work agenda signals the start of greater efforts by the social partners in the pursuit of more sustainable measures in promoting and enhancing decent work in the country.

He said a national tripartite advisory committee has been formed to steer the implementation of the NAPDW starting this year until 2010.

The committee consists of the DOLE, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, Federation of Free Workers, and the Employers’ Confederation of the Philippines.

Decent work is defined by the International Labor Organization as “opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work, in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity.”

Its six dimensions are opportunities for work, freedom of choice of employment, productive work, equity in work, security at work, and representation at work.

It was introduced in the Philippines during the first cycle covering 2002-2004 when the pursuit of “full, decent, and productive employment” was integrated in the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan.

During the period, the Philippine Labor Index was also developed to provide for a summary measure that monitors the progress of attaining the country’s labor and employment goals.

The second cycle focused on aligning and harmonizing decent work goals with MTPDP objectives particularly in employment generation, poverty alleviation, and social protection for workers and their families.