The
departments of Labor and Employment and Interior and Local Government signed
recently a memorandum of agreement defining the terms of collaboration by the
two departments and of local government units (LGUs) in maintaining industrial
peace and harmony and promoting workers protection and welfare within their
specific areas of jurisdiction nationwide.
Labor and Employment Secretary
Patricia A. Sto. Tomas and Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose D. Lina
signed the agreement in a brief ceremony at the DOLE office in Intramuros. Also present to witness the signing were DOLE
Undersecretary for Labor Relations Josephus B. Jimenez, DILG Undesecretary
Alipio F. Fernandez, Jr., NCMB Executive Director Rolando Rico C. Olalia and
other DOLE officials.
The signing of the
agreement strengthens the partnership of DOLE and DILG in its efforts to
maintain and foster industrial peace in the workplace.
Under the agreement, the DOLE will
provide technical and training assistance to personnel of the different LGUs
and conduct advocacy and information and education activities, such as but not
limited to seminars and the dissemination of flyers and pamphlets to workers
and employees and the general public within the LGUs’ specific areas of
jurisdiction.
On the other hand, the DILG will
actively encourage LGUs to maintain a corps of qualified personnel who will render
conciliation and mediation services for cases not yet filed with the DOLE,
assist the sheriffs and process servers duly deputized by the DOLE’s NLRC or
other attached agencies, bureaus or offices in the enforcement of orders and
decisions and render assistance to the DOLE in the performance of its
functions, such as the participation in or hosting of labor advocacy, education
and training seminars.
The DILG and DOLE will work out the
implementing guidelines of the agreement.
Under the agreement, the DOLE through
its bureaus, regional offices and attached agencies will enter into memoranda
of agreements with LGUs in their respective jurisdiction to implement the
objectives of the program.
On the part of
NCMB, seminars will be conducted for local officials and labor and management
in the locality to enhance their capability in rendering conciliation and
mediation services. Technical and
training assistance shall also be provided to LGUs. Being the office in-charged
with the mediation of labor disputes, NCMB plays a key role in the maintenance
of industrial peace. NCMB has been
responsible in the reduction of strikes in 2002 to 36 cases, the lowest strike
incidence in the country.
For
this purpose, the NCMB has scheduled to pilot test this year the program in
selected critical areas with high incidence of labor disputes. The focus will be on dispute prevention and
will involved training of local officials on conciliation-mediation and labor
standards observance.