Police and government officials were trained on workers’ rights and international labour standards in relation to handling disputes and adopting a more human rights approach.

A key element of the US Department of State and the ILO project on Promoting the Effective Recognition and Implementation of the Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining in the Philippines is training relevant officials from various governmental institutions on international labour standards.

In partnership with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the first of several planned training sessions was jointly delivered on workers’ rights to PHP officers on 15 to 16 January. The training is also linked to a set of guidelines drawn up between the social partners concerning the handling of workplace disputes and is also a component of the PNP’s own commitments towards adopting a more proactive human rights approach to their policing.

Further training sessions will now roll-out across the Philippines and tie in with planned training for the Armed Forces of the Philippines as well.

To promote homegrown trainers on international labour standards, an extensive programme on training officials from DOLE and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) took place on 21 to 25 January in Tagaytay. The event itself was preceded with a month long exchange between our consultant, the trainers, DOLE, PEZA, and the ILO to ensure the modules, which will form the basis of future training sessions, are set in the Philippine context.

The modules and preparation of the trainers is being finalized after which, a number of training sessions on international labour standards will be delivered to the social partners.