THE Philippines is intensifying its labor reform efforts, with over 90,000 labor inspections conducted from June 2022 to March 2025, as the government aims to align with global standards and promote safe and fair working conditions.
“We remain steadfast in our task to fully advance international labor standards,” President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., said in Filipino during a Labor Day event on Thursday, citing improved workplace safety, fair wages, and just treatment of workers as top priorities.
He said the Philippines is preparing to ratify International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 155, which outlines a national framework for occupational safety and health (OSH).
“This includes a dynamic policy approach to OSH,” he noted, adding that reforms also target the enhancement of labor dispute resolution services.
Highlighting Manila’s bid to rebuild global trust in its labor governance, Mr. Marcos cited the country’s renewed commitment to freedom of association and the right of workers to organize.
“We also continue to restore the status of the Philippines and the international community as a beacon of democratic rights and civil liberties of workers in the Asia Pacific,” he said.
In 2024, the Philippines secured a seat on the ILO’s Governing Body and its Freedom of Association Committee, as well as on the ILO International Training Center board.
Mr. Marcos added the country has begun implementing a tripartite roadmap to institutionalize the right to organize, marking progress on a long-standing labor issue frequently raised by international observers.
The Philippines has faced persistent criticism over violations of workers’ rights to freely associate and organize. Labor unions and civil society groups have long reported incidents of union harassment, red-tagging, and even violence against labor leaders, especially in export zones and agribusiness sectors.
In 2023, the ILO sent a High-Level Tripartite Mission (HLTM) to Manila in response to mounting complaints about attacks on trade unionists and insufficient government enforcement of labor protections.
The HLTM report urged the government to end impunity for labor rights violations and strengthen mechanisms to protect union activities.
It also recommended the development of a roadmap on freedom of association and a more consistent application of ILO Conventions No. 87 and No. 98, which safeguard the right to organize and bargain collectively. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana