"Welcome development": Nograles lauds CHR-DOLE pact for workers' rights
At A Glance
- House Committee on Labor and Employment chairman and Rizal 4th district Rep. Fidel Nograles has welcomed the agreement between the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), which aims to strengthen the promotion and protection of workers' rights.
(MANILA BULLETIN)
House Committee on Labor and Employment chairman and Rizal 4th district Rep. Fidel Nograles has welcomed the agreement between the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), which aims to strengthen the promotion and protection of workers' rights.
CHR and DOLE signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) that would pursue the improvement of programs related to the rights of workers between the two government agencies.
These programs include the conduct of investigations, referral of cases, provision of free legal advice, training and promotional activities, and policy development.
"The MOA between the Commission on Human Rights and Department of Labor and Employment is a welcome development in government's efforts to uphold workers' rights,” Nograles said in a statement, on Saturday, Oct. 28.
“I hope that through this MOA we can make significant headway in ensuring that our workers are protected against abuse," he said.
The CHR-DOLE agreement came to fruition as a result of a high-level tripartite meeting organized by the International Labor Organization (ILO) earlier this year.
During the meeting, the need to enhance coordination among relevant government agencies on the promotion and protection of labor rights was raised among attendees.
Nograles, who is a Harvard-trained lawyer, called the attention of the government to establish mechanisms that would allow workers to fully enjoy their rights.
"This will require not only cracking down on employers with abusive practices, but also engaging with employers to discourage such abuses and stress that the protection of workers' rights is ultimately to the benefit of the organization," he said.
"I'm sure that we can expect more programs as an outcome of this partnership. Eventually, I hope that we can set up a working system involving all stakeholders in upholding workers' welfare," he added. --Dexter Barro II