The Philippines finds itself under heavy scrutiny for its treatment of workers, facing condemnation from both the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the International Labour Organization (ILO). For the eighth consecutive year, the ITUC’s 2024 Global Rights Index has placed the Philippines among the top 10 worst countries for workers. This bleak assessment coincides with a damning report from the ILO, which identifies the Philippines as one of six nations where trade unionist murders are rampant.
The ILO’s investigation reveals the Philippine government’s failure to uphold ILO Convention 87 on Freedom of Association, highlighting a lack of protection for workers’ rights. Since 2016, 72 trade union killings remain unresolved, according to major Filipino trade unions, including the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) and Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU). They argue that forming trade unions is fraught with obstacles, perpetuating a climate of fear and intimidation.
These unions directly accuse the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) of hindering their efforts to push for crucial reforms. They allege that the DoLE misrepresented its compliance with recommendations from a previous ILO investigation and accuse it of complicity in the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), an agency accused of suppressing worker and union rights.
The unions believe that until the DoLE acknowledges the harsh realities of violence, red-tagging, and abduction faced by workers, and actively addresses these issues, the Philippines will remain a hostile environment for working people. They see the stagnant unionization rates as a clear indication of the government’s failure to meet international labor standards.