The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) expressed full support and lauded the Department of Labor and Employment's (DOLE) initiative that provides assistance to workers impacted by labor rights violations.

In observance of Labor Day today, May 1, the DOLE launched the Labor, Intervention, Financial, and Economic (LIFE) Assistance Program -- a targeted economic recovery initiative that seeks to support individuals who have faced challenges related to labor rights.
The LIFE Assistance Program is specifically tailored for the affected workers themselves, as well as their families and next of kin, the DOLE said.
The program was created for those who have encountered harassment, threats, or violence in connection with union organizing and labor rights advocacy. It also aims to address their immediate economic needs and help rebuild their livelihoods.
The CHR said the program grants workers and their kins various support packages, including livelihood assistance, scholarships, government internship programs, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) training, and referrals to the appropriate agencies or offices for necessary interventions and programs based on their specific needs.
It said it has committed to submit to DOLE a comprehensive list of labor-related cases that it has investigated across all regions in the country.
It also said: "Labor rights is a priority thrust of the 6th Commission en banc for 2025, under which the LIFE Assistance Program squarely falls as a concrete initiative to uphold this thematic concern. The Commission recognizes that the enjoyment of human rights is interlinked with economic dignity and independence."
"The CHR, as the country’s independent national human rights institution, expresses its full support to DOLE and other partners in ensuring that workers’ rights are not only respected in principle but made real through responsive programs and sustained cooperation," it added.