Workers' and Employers' Organizations in the Philippines

Workers at a handicraft factory in Laguna, Philippines, which producers wooden, decorative items. (@ILO/A. Ganal).

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Employers' organizations

The Employers’ Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), established in September 1975, unites employers and their organizations, safeguards and enhances employers’ interest in labour-management relations, including social and economic policy issues, and promotes industrial harmony, social justice and national economic growth.

 The ILO works with ECOP to enhance their research and policy capacities to engage in evidence-based key social and economic policy dialogue including on the impact of technology on labour markets as well as provide technical capacity to effectively engage and lead on critical debates, strengthen the technical service and policy capacity of business membership organizations to increase their relevance and representation in fragile zones and enable them to effectively contribute to sustainable economic and social recovery, mainstream issues of gender equality into the policy agenda, and strengthen the capacity of the representatives of employers to engage in bipartite and tripartite dialogues.

Workers' organizations

Some 600 national trade unions, industrial federations and plant-level unions from private and public sectors are registered in the Philippines, although they represent less than 10 per cent of the 38.8 million-strong workforce. Among these are the Federation of Free Workers (FFW), Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO), and the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP). Their primary concerns include decent work for job seekers and job preservation for the employed.

 The ILO works with trade union partners to examine the Labor Code , contractualization and stringent organizing and strike provisions, and involves tripartite constituents in the Decent Work Country Programme through programme work to eliminate child labour, youth unemployment, gender inequality, and discrimination, better regulate labour migration and seek greater social protection and dialogue.

For further information please contact:

ILO Country Office for the Philippines (CO-Manila)
19th Floor, Yuchengco Tower
RCBC Plaza 6819 Ayala Avenue
1200 Makati City, Philippines
Tel: +63 2 8580 9900
Email