SENATE concurrence to ratify a 2019 International Labor Organization convention to eliminate workplace violence and harassment (ILO C190) was pushed by Senator Ana Theresia N. Hontiveros-Baraquel on Tuesday in a bid to boost worker productivity and ensure decent working conditions in the Philippines.
“The concurrence in ILO C190 will pave the way for key government agencies, employers and different institutions and stakeholders to work together for an environment of a gender-violence and harassment-free space for all workers — whether in the public or private sector, or in the formal or informal economy,” she said at the Senate Foreign Relations hearing.
At the same hearing, officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) agreed that the Philippines should ratify the ILO convention.
In filing the resolution seeking the Senate’s concurrence, Ms. Hontiveros-Baraquel said that failing to ensure the safety and protection of both informal and formal sector workers would have social and economic consequences.
Senator Maria Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, ordered the creation of a technical working group comprising senators, officials from DoLE, the DMW, the DFA to study the provisions of the convention and its implications on the government’s labor policies.
“We hope that this would not only be ratified but also be implemented as soon as possible,” she said.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., the senator’s brother, earlier asked the Senate to ratify the ILO convention as he emphasized the need for zero tolerance for violence and harassment against members of the Philippine workforce.
ILO C190 was adopted during the general conference in Geneva, Switzerland in June 2019.
“In this regard, the country’s commitments relative to the ILO C190 contribute to the performance of key targets under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly with respect to Goal 5 on Gender Equality and Goal 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth,” Mr. Marcos said in his letter to the Senate. — John Victor D. Ordoñez