Union leader in the Philippines brings just transition across Mindanao

KIDAPAWAN, Philippines (ILO News) - Being part of a family of police officers, Melba Tampakan was expected to wear a uniform and follow a well-trodden path. Her father is a retired police officer, her uncles are colonels, and her siblings joined the police force or pursued careers in nursing.

After earning a degree in Applied Economics, she was encouraged to take the police entrance exams. Instead, she chose a different form of service. Instead of a badge, she carries the struggles and stories of workers.

While researching geothermal energy in college, Melba met labour leaders and discovered the stories that would shape her life. “We need to get the stories of the workers,” she said. “There are so many stories that can help us make policies to lift their lives.”

That decision did not come easily. Her family struggled to understand why she chose labour organizing over a stable career. Yet nine years later, as Director for Recruitment and Services at the Associated Labor Union-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP), Melba continues to stand beside workers, often in the country's most difficult and isolated communities.

In Mindanao, where many workers depend on agriculture and the informal economy, organizing means long motorcycle rides through remote areas with limited security. Reaching banana growers, fisherfolk, and rural workers often requires coordinating with tribal leaders, imams, and even the military.

“I will take a risk,” she said. “You cannot complete the situation or give a suggestion if you do not go there.” Those journeys have reinforced one conviction. A just transition is not only about responding to climate change or technological change. It is about ensuring that workers, especially those in vulnerable and informal sectors, are not left behind as industries transform.

For Melba, however, the term itself was once unfamiliar. Everything changed when she attended an International Labour Organization (ILO) training on just transition. Before then, she admitted, she and her colleagues really knew nothing about just transition. But the training reshaped her understanding of green jobs, worker protection, and the role of unions in preparing people for change.

Recently, she participated and facilitated a just transition training in Mindanao under the ILO's Enhancing Tripartite Roles to Uphold Just Transitions (ENTRUST) initiative. The training was implemented in partnership with the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) in June 2026.

The initiative is supported by the ILO’s Regular Budget Supplementary Account (RBSA) with contributions from Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Spain, and Qatar.

© Minette Rimando/ILO

© Minette Rimando/ILO

The shift toward a greener and more digital economy can feel threatening. Melba explains that a just transition is not just about environmental change, but about decent work and human dignity. It ensures that as industries evolve, workers are not displaced.

She left with a promise that the lessons would not end in the classroom. Believing that lasting change depends on the next generation, Melba established youth committees in every local union under her federation. She also introduced monthly study circles, held in person, online, or through hybrid sessions, to prepare young workers for leadership and ensure the labour movement continues to grow beyond today's leaders.

The initiative soon delivered an important breakthrough. The regional youth committee drafted a board resolution asking union presidents to allow young workers to sit as observers during Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations. The proposal was approved, giving young advocates their first opportunity to help shape bargaining discussions, including provisions on just transition.

For Melba, giving young workers a voice is essential. “It is high time to give a chance to other young workers,” she said.

Those conversations have already translated into concrete gains. Several collective agreements now include commitments to upskilling and reskilling, requiring employers to train workers as new technologies are introduced while allowing them paid time to learn.

“It is our safety net,” Melba explained. “Whether you like it or not, innovation continues. Workers must be ready, so we are not left behind.”

Her vision extends beyond individual workplaces. She hopes to see young labour leaders represented in Industrial Tripartite Councils, where they can advocate for contractual, agency, and informal workers who often lack the protection and representation of unions.

For Melba, a just transition will only succeed if it reaches those at the grassroots. It must protect workers whose livelihoods are most at risk while opening opportunities for young people to shape the future of work.

Despite the long journeys, the difficult terrain, and the challenges of being a Tausug woman in a male-dominated field, Melba remains driven by the communities she serves. She credits her mother for believing in her when others questioned her path.

“The feeling is different,” she said. “Every time I go back to the people we helped, the passion returns. I feel like I will not get tired.”

In a region where change can feel uncertain, Melba underscores that a just transition begins by listening to workers, investing in young leaders, and ensuring that every voice, especially those from vulnerable and informal sectors, has a place at the table.

Through her lens as a union organizer, she continues to prove that the strongest force for change in the Philippines is not a weapon, but the collective voice of a protected workforce.