| Workshop Background Paper | ||
TOWARD A CODE OF CONDUCT IN THE TEXTILE, CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR
INDUSTRIES: LAWS AND POSSIBILITIESBenedicto Ernesto R. Bitonio Jr.
Director, Bureau of Labor Relations,
Department of Labor and Employment,
Government of the PhilippinesSeminar or workshop background papers express the views of the authors only
and are intended to provide information and stimulate discussionInternational Labour Office Geneva
Contents:
There are two assumptions underlying this paper.
First, it may be stated as a norm .nat most Philippine laws are of general application. The extent to which these are applied and enforced do not vary across industries. However, the peculiar nature of an industry may give rise to certain specific legal issues which are not otherwise highlighted in other industries. While this paper will identify the laws commonly applied to all industries it will also identify specific provisions of law which are especially relevant to the textile, clothing and footwear industries.
Second, under the Philippine Standard Industrial Classification (PSIC), textile, cclothing and footwear are not classified as a single industry but constitute three distinct mill or industry groups. Instead of "clothing" the PSIC usess the phrase "wearing apparel, except footwear" so that wearing apparel and garments are often used interchangeably. As a distinct industry, on the other hand, footwear includes only those made of leather as well as slippers, sandals and footwear parts except those made of rubber, plastic or wood. The manufacture of rubber, wood and plastic footwear fall under other major industry groups, namely the rubber, wood and footwear industries. The distinction is important because while the assumption is that laws affecting all industries are of general application, there are special laws and regulations applicable to garments and textiles but not to footwear. Similarly, there may be legal issues which are of special interest to one of these industries but not to the others.
These considerations can be helpful in evolving the scope of any code of conduct proposed to be drawn in relation to textiles, garments and footwear.
As of the end of 1996, the garments and textiles industries employed an estimated 724,000 workers out of the 27.3 million employed workforce. These industries are among the country's top exporters, accounting for 2.74 billion dollars, or 13.34%, of the country's total exports of 20.543 billion dollars in 1996. There are now about 1,380 active garments and textiles exporters nationwide, with markets in 104 countries. By the year 2000, the value of garments and export textiles has been projected to reach 6 billion dollars. In spite of increasing competitive pressures from other garments and textiles exporting nations, these industries are nevertheless expected to develop in the coming years.
