President Gloria declares March 29 to April 3
as Labor-Management Cooperation Week


Strongly affirming the Constitutional mandate for industrial harmony and the common will to make the best of opportunities and surmount globalization's effects, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has declared the period starting from March 29 up to April 3, 2004 as Labor-Management Cooperation Week, Labor and Employment Secretary Patricia A. Sto. Tomas announced yesterday.

The President's declaration is contained in Proclamation No. 561 issued on March 1.

The basis of the President's proclamation, Sto. Tomas said, is the Constitution's mandate on the country's labor and management sectors to mutually foster and enforce the principle of shared responsibility toward a lasting industrial peace that favors stability, opportunities, and growth.

She added the proclamation comes on the strength of the lowest strike levels in the Philippines in decades due to labor-management cooperation and the maturity and harmony reached by the sectors.

"Given a favorable milieu and sustained cooperation between labor and management, we expect industrial peace in the country this year to continue to build upon the prevailingly low strikes levels so far achieved," she said, adding:

"Only 36 strikes were registered by the Department of Labor and Employment in 2002, the lowest in 21 years, while on the other hand, only 38 strikes were posted last year."

The President, under Proclamation No. 561, emphasized the necessity of creating a "broader consciousness of labor-management cooperation as an effective measure to foster industrial peace and harmony."

She stressed that "labor-management cooperation is necessary to enable our industries to respond to the challenges of the rapidly-changing global business environment and a new world order envisioned by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade."

The week will highlight the vital role of the Labor-Management Cooperation Councils (LMCs) established mutually by workers and employers in many firms nationwide.

According to the DOLE's National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB), there are now more than 841 LMCs in various firms and industries operating in all of the country's 15 regions.

The crucial role of the country's LMCs in industrial peace, as well as in development and growth, will be highlighted on this year's Labor Day celebrations on May 1.

"We are pleased to highlight our unceasing and consistent thrusts, through the NCMB and with the full cooperation of the labor and management sectors, to enhance and strengthen the LMCs toward lasting peace and harmony in the country's industries," DOLE Undersecretary for Labor Relations Josephus B. Jimenez stated.