NCMB HOLDS 7th VA CONFAB
Close
to 200 delegates consisting of Accredited Voluntary Arbitrators (AVAs),
voluntary arbitration advocates and labor and management representatives
converged at the Holiday Inn, Ermita, Manila on November 14-15, 2002 for the 7th
National Convention on Voluntary Arbitration.
Conducted
every two years by the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) in
cooperation with the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Philippine
Association on Voluntary Arbitration, Inc. (PAVA, Inc.), the national
conventions on voluntary arbitration provide forums to discuss problems
affecting voluntary arbitration and its related mechanism - grievance
settlement - and to identify measures to improve the system.
This
year's convention adopted the theme "Grievance Settlement and Voluntary
Arbitration as Mechanisms of Cooperation in the Workplace." The delegates
extensively discussed and reviewed substantive and procedural case-handling
issues, specific measures and processes to strengthen not only voluntary
arbitration but also the other voluntary modes of dispute settlement and came
up with policy recommendations to address such concerns. The convention delegates also formulated a
national program on grievance settlement and voluntary arbitration among
unionized and non-unionized establishments including small and medium
enterprises.
Mr.
Abhik Gosh, who represented ILO Manila Director Werner K. Blenk presented his
paper on Social Dialogue and Harmony at the Workplace, while former UP-SOLAIR
Dean and NAVA President Rene S. Ofreneo discussed New Paradigrns in Industrial
Relations. Former Labor Secretary
Atty. Bienvenido E. Laguesma also talked
on Promoting Voluntary Arbitration through Efficient Grievance Settlement
Mechanisms. Bureau of Labor Relations
(DOLE-BLR) Director Hans Leo M. Cacdac, meanwhile spoke on Changes in the Rules
on Dispute Settlement.
The
convention also served as a forum for the election of a new set of officers of
the PAVA where Arbitrator Francis Sobrevinas earned his second term as the
association's President.
