For the first time in history, the Philippines will enjoy speaking rights in the elite governing body of the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello said starting next week, “the voice of our country shall be heard in ILO’s executive branch where small nations are not allowed to speak out.”
Bello is in Geneva, Switzerland where he just presided over the meeting of the ILO government group. The Philippines sits as the current chairman of the said cluster.
“The Philippines will also work for the stronger participation of other small nations in the decision-making of ILO,” he added.
Earlier, Bello vowed to bring reforms in ILO particularly in the areas of policy-making which he said is monopolized by wealthy countries. “This has to stop if we are really after the welfare of all workers around the globe,” Bello explained.
Meanwhile, Bello also cited the importance of early planning during the recent meeting of the government group.
Planning in advance would favor in particular the nomination of chairmen of committees and other government positions at the 110th Session of the International Labour Conference next year, said Bello.
“It might seem a little too early to already think of next year’s conference, given that this year’s 109th International Conference is yet to resume for the second part in a few weeks. However, past experience has shown that the process to reach agreement on these nominations takes time,” Bello said.
“It would be beneficial, therefore, for regional groups to engage in consultations well in advance, so that nominations can be confirmed at the next Governing Body session in March,” he added.
Bello said early identification of chairpersons for the Conference committees is critical for the preparatory work carried out in the months preceding the Conference.
It allows for early consultation with the officers of the respective committees and enables the government group to provide the draft plans of work well in advance of the Conference, which is of great importance to governments as well as to the social partners, he said.
“It is in our best interest to start the process early, with a view to confirming the nominations at the March 2022 session of the Governing Body,” Bello added.
The nomination of the committee chairmen is the fifth agenda of the meeting which Bello led after attending the Sixth Ministerial Consultation of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue in the United Arab Emirates.
The Abu Dhabi Dialogue was established in 2008 as a forum for dialogue and cooperation between Asian countries of labor origin and destination. It aims to enable safe, orderly and regular labor migration in some of the world’s largest temporary labour migration corridors.
“I had fruitful discussions with the Labour Ministers of some of the governments that are present today,” he told the conference delegates.
Before ending his message, Bello thanked the other countries’ support in the Philippines’ representation of the Government Group in tripartite meetings with the social partners.
“We count on your continued support for the Philippines in performing its role up to the 110th International Labour Conference in June 2022,” he said. (DOLE) -rir
