Labor office creates construction councils

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) in Central Luzon region recently established six more Construction Industrial Tripartite Councils (C-ITC) in the region to promote industrial peace and create awareness about the voluntary code of good practices (VCGP) in labor standards, occupational safety, and health standards.

Dole regional director Raymundo Agravante said the six C-ITCs are in provinces of Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, and Zambales.

The VCGP covers the 10 areas of good practices which include Compliance to Labor Standards; Coordination for Training and Education; Recruitment and Termination; Occupational Safety and Health; Productivity; Dispute Settlement; Legitimate Contracting and Sub-contracting; Social Dialogue; Collaboration of Government Partners; and Monitoring of the Code.

VCGP is designed to promote a culture of compliance with basic labor standards among key players of the industry where workers in the construction industry, regardless of employment status, shall be entitled to all rights and privileges as provided for in the Labor Code and likewise be ensured on their protection and welfare at the worksite.

This code also aims to professionalize, upgrade, and update the level of competence of all workers in this industry through continuous training and education and adopting programs that will increase productivity and harness competitiveness of the industry.

“With compliance to labor standards and occupational safety and health in the workplace as one of our primary concerns in the construction industry, the Dole deemed it necessary, under the directives of Labor Secretary Baldoz, to establish ITCs for this industry, in order for labor and management to have a venue to raise their issues and concerns with the aim of fostering industrial peace and growth,” said Agravante.