Message at the 10th Asian Regional Congress of the International Labour and Employment Relations Association
By Mr Khalid Hassan, Director, ILO Country Office for the Philippines at the 10th Asian Regional Congress of the International Labour and Employment Relations Association, 3 to 4 December 2020 Manila, Philippines via Zoom
3 December 2020
Good day, dear participants, delegates and organizers of this 10th Asian Regional Congress of the International Labour and Employment Relations Association.
During this COVID-19 pandemic, many governments and employers have encouraged work from home modality as one of the safety measures and responses.
Indeed, ICT-supported telework allowed businesses and employees to continue, and provide employment and income opportunities during this pandemic.
However, it is not without challenges and going forward we need to ensure that telework is decent work. It should not become a source of labour-management tensions.
As an example, telework can create possibilities for outsourcing or contracting out lot of regular company work. This may include pay roll maintenance, administrative work, customer care, and other areas of work.
This can also lead to making an employee a self-employed contractor providing services to the company. There can be changes from employer-employee relation to client-supplier relation.
This could cause not only industrial relations problems but also can have adverse viability consequences for contribution based social security schemes such as the Social Security System in the Philippines.
Dialogue by social partners is needed to ensure that telework does not become yet another way of outsourcing company work. It is essential to do telework or remote work within an employment relationship, and not become a way for informalization of teleworkers.
On measuring telework and payment, ideally, the basis of employees’ basic pay are working hours and not what they are able to produce, that is payment by results, final output.
It is advisable to avoid the risk of converting work into piece rate system that can undermine employment relationship and convert it into a commercial relationship between the employee and the employer.
The principle of equal pay for work of equal value should apply regardless of the location where the work is carried out.
If payment by results needs to be factored in, then this should be discussed with the union, if present or with the employee concerned if there is no union; It is important to take into account measurable and non–measurable work involved in producing the result.
Unreasonable targets for employees at telework can create conditions for violence directed at family members at home, which now is also the workplace.
ILO analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic revealed that women are among the vulnerable and hard-hit groups.
It should not be assumed that telework is beneficial to women workers given the increase of unpaid work and domestic burden.
If telework is imposed on women, it may inflict double burden on women working from home, with associated consequences for stress and health related issues.
Limiting women’s access to the workplace can also have negative implications on training and career development. A gender-neutral telework policy should help women and men to choose voluntarily different forms of telework in cooperation with their employer to balance work and family life.
COVID-19 has indeed exposed inadequacies of the current economic and labour market model that most countries have been following. Both pre-COVID normal and the ‘new normal’ needs to be inclusive, while ensuring decent work for all so that no one is left behind.
There will be a major restructuring of businesses and business models by global companies, especially in OECD countries after COVID-19.
These will also affect supply chains. Businesses in developing countries need to anticipate change and Governments need to find ways to promote employment even as there will be employment disruptions in the existing supply chains.
Fair solutions will need to be negotiated through bipartite and tripartite social dialogue if social distress is to be further avoided.
Looking ahead, we need coordinated efforts and strong policies to build back better from COVID-19.
The right balance and sequence of health, economic and social policy interventions continues to be crucial. It is clear that support for jobs and labour income will need to continue well into 2021 – to keep employment, businesses and incomes afloat.
Fiscal stimulus packages and income support measures for vulnerable and hard-hit groups should also be a priority.
Finally, as these challenges become increasingly complex from teleworking to recovering – social dialogue among government, workers and employers must be actively maintained.
No single group, country or region can beat these challenges alone, and we hope this Congress will provide a venue to strengthen solidarity, cooperation and dialogue.
We must not miss this opportunity to build back better through decent work.
Congratulations to the organizing committee for bringing together participants and partners for this Congress.
We look forward to further discussions on areas that are very timely and relevant. We believe that dialogue is key to address current and future challenges.
Again, congratulations and best wishes for the success of this Congress.
Thank you!
During this COVID-19 pandemic, many governments and employers have encouraged work from home modality as one of the safety measures and responses.
Indeed, ICT-supported telework allowed businesses and employees to continue, and provide employment and income opportunities during this pandemic.
However, it is not without challenges and going forward we need to ensure that telework is decent work. It should not become a source of labour-management tensions.
As an example, telework can create possibilities for outsourcing or contracting out lot of regular company work. This may include pay roll maintenance, administrative work, customer care, and other areas of work.
This can also lead to making an employee a self-employed contractor providing services to the company. There can be changes from employer-employee relation to client-supplier relation.
This could cause not only industrial relations problems but also can have adverse viability consequences for contribution based social security schemes such as the Social Security System in the Philippines.
Dialogue by social partners is needed to ensure that telework does not become yet another way of outsourcing company work. It is essential to do telework or remote work within an employment relationship, and not become a way for informalization of teleworkers.
On measuring telework and payment, ideally, the basis of employees’ basic pay are working hours and not what they are able to produce, that is payment by results, final output.
It is advisable to avoid the risk of converting work into piece rate system that can undermine employment relationship and convert it into a commercial relationship between the employee and the employer.
The principle of equal pay for work of equal value should apply regardless of the location where the work is carried out.
If payment by results needs to be factored in, then this should be discussed with the union, if present or with the employee concerned if there is no union; It is important to take into account measurable and non–measurable work involved in producing the result.
Unreasonable targets for employees at telework can create conditions for violence directed at family members at home, which now is also the workplace.
ILO analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic revealed that women are among the vulnerable and hard-hit groups.
It should not be assumed that telework is beneficial to women workers given the increase of unpaid work and domestic burden.
If telework is imposed on women, it may inflict double burden on women working from home, with associated consequences for stress and health related issues.
Limiting women’s access to the workplace can also have negative implications on training and career development. A gender-neutral telework policy should help women and men to choose voluntarily different forms of telework in cooperation with their employer to balance work and family life.
COVID-19 has indeed exposed inadequacies of the current economic and labour market model that most countries have been following. Both pre-COVID normal and the ‘new normal’ needs to be inclusive, while ensuring decent work for all so that no one is left behind.
There will be a major restructuring of businesses and business models by global companies, especially in OECD countries after COVID-19.
These will also affect supply chains. Businesses in developing countries need to anticipate change and Governments need to find ways to promote employment even as there will be employment disruptions in the existing supply chains.
Fair solutions will need to be negotiated through bipartite and tripartite social dialogue if social distress is to be further avoided.
Looking ahead, we need coordinated efforts and strong policies to build back better from COVID-19.
The right balance and sequence of health, economic and social policy interventions continues to be crucial. It is clear that support for jobs and labour income will need to continue well into 2021 – to keep employment, businesses and incomes afloat.
Fiscal stimulus packages and income support measures for vulnerable and hard-hit groups should also be a priority.
Finally, as these challenges become increasingly complex from teleworking to recovering – social dialogue among government, workers and employers must be actively maintained.
No single group, country or region can beat these challenges alone, and we hope this Congress will provide a venue to strengthen solidarity, cooperation and dialogue.
We must not miss this opportunity to build back better through decent work.
Congratulations to the organizing committee for bringing together participants and partners for this Congress.
We look forward to further discussions on areas that are very timely and relevant. We believe that dialogue is key to address current and future challenges.
Again, congratulations and best wishes for the success of this Congress.
Thank you!