Philippines: DOLE1 to Establish Good Labor Practices in Tobacco Industry

Source from:  PHILIPPINE INFORMATION AGENCY (ph)  11/26/2012

The Department of Labor and Employment-Regional Office I DOLE 1) conducted recently a dialogue with the officers of the Industrial Tripartite Council-Tobacco Industry (ITCTI) to establish good labor practices which would lead eventually to voluntary compliance to labor laws and policies.

The purpose of the dialogue is to come up with a Memorandum of Agreement to be adopted by the body of Voluntary Code of Good Practices for the tobacco industry.
 
Participants were from the different tobacco players represented by the Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Company (Agoo, La Union) ; Universal Leaf Philippines, Inc. (Agoo, La Union); Continental Leaf, Phils., Inc. (Bacnotan,La Union), and tobacco farmers. Also in attendance were representatives from Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB); and National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB).
 
Also present in the discussion were DOLE 1 Assistant Director Florence Marie Gacad-Ulep and officers of supervising labor and employment and head of the technical services and support division who pushed the attainment of a doable course of action in promoting the best interest of labor and management in the tobacco industry.
 
"We will tackle this matter one step at a time, look into possible intricacy until all concerned agree that a voluntary code , or a more appropriate social deal is viable, hence will be adopted. After signing the MOA, the body will draft the VCGP", she added.
 
Some of the areas to be considered are labor standards, occupational safety and health and child labor prevention.
 
Meanwhile, the Industrial Tripartite Council Tobacco Industry Region I was organized on May 31, 2010 but was reorganized on September 27, 2012 to strengthen the development on labor and employment and the framework convention on tobacco control.
 
The body was composed of management and labor representatives from TMI, ULPI, Conleaf and PMFTC and government partners like the DOLE, RTWPB, NCMB, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Provincial Heath Office (PHO), Occupational Safety and Health Network-Association of Safety Practitioners of the Philippines, Inc., Department of Agriculture (DA) and National Tobacco Administration (NTA).
 
It also includes members of the committees on child labor, safety and health and labor management council. Enditem