Philippines to Establish Tripartite Council for Electric Cooperatives' Labor Issues

The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) and the National Electrification Administration (NEA) are collaborating to establish a tripartite council, which will serve as a permanent forum for addressing labor and employment concerns within the electric cooperative industry. In a statement on Wednesday, DoLE said the agencies have begun working on guidelines for the proposed Electric Cooperative Industry Tripartite Council, which will bring together the government, electric cooperative management and workers. DoLE and NEA officials met to discuss the composition and functions of a technical working group (TWG) that will draft its operating guidelines. The TWG will include representatives from the DoLE Bureau of Labor Relations, National Conciliation and Mediation Board, National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council Secretariat, NEA, labor sector and other government agencies. Once established, the council will bring together the government, electric cooperative management and workers to discuss labor and employment issues, formulate policy recommendations and promote labor-management relations and industrial peace. The council is also expected to produce a collective bargaining manual for unionized electric cooperatives to guide collective bargaining processes and help protect workers’ rights to organize and negotiate collectively. The initiative follows an Aug. 3 meeting between NEA Administrator Antonio Mariano C. Almeda and DoLE Secretary Francis N. Tolentino, where the agencies discussed strengthening cooperation to promote and protect collective bargaining rights in unionized electric cooperatives. — Mark Joseph M. Sanchez Source: BusinessWorld Nation