National Consultation Workshop on Decent Work

After a series of consultation and dialogue with the government, employers’ and workers’ organizations, the ILO in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment conducted a national consultation to consolidate and to integrate results of previous activities as part of crafting the Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP). Emerging priorities were identified and organized in a Results-based Management (RBM) cycle.

“The Decent Work Country Programme is our shared concrete action plan to contribute to the Philippine Development Plan to make inclusive growth possible and to make sure that no one is left behind. Social partners must be able to identify priorities for convergence. We need collective efforts. We have to work together to sustain decent work,” said DOLE Undersecretary Joel Maglunsod.

Ms Diane Lynn Respall, ILO Senior Programme Officer a.i. explained the decent work agenda through the years in the Philippines and acknowledged the role of the government, employers’ and workers’ organizations in all cycles. She further shared global policies, results and enabling outcomes and discussed the theory of change as a method based on causal analysis.

“Social dialogue is central for the formulation of the Decent Work Country Programme, as well as in the planning, implementation and evaluation phases where the constituents and social partners are engaged. The constituents are not only seen as beneficiaries but also key actors and implementers in the whole process, ensuring their mandate and ownership of the process,” said ILO Director Khalid Hassan.

Social dialogue was also part of the process of developing the Decent Work Country Diagnostics. DOLE Assistant Secretary Alex Avila presented snapshots of the Diagnostics and its link to the Philippine Development Plan. The DWCP is anchored on the national policy and development agenda, which will contribute to relevant components of the Philippine Development Plan, AmBisyon 2040, the DOLE’s labour and employment agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Atty Ernesto Benedicto Bitonio, Jr presented emerging priorities, which were validated and assessed in the national consultation. Participants presented priorities based on the Decent Work pillars covering rights at work, employment, social protection and social dialogue.