Thursday, April 19, 2007 Dole pushes industrial peace By Grace L. Plata
LABOR relations plus human relations equals productivity and competitiveness.
This is the equation espoused by the renewed labor management education program of the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) in partnership with the Regional Tripartite Industrial Peace Council - Labor and Management Education Committee which was launched Wednesday.
In a press conference, Dole Assistant Secretary Ma. Teresa Soriano said the three specialized core modules on Labor Relations, Human Relations and Productivity is viewed to work more effectively in fostering a harmonious relationship between the labor and management sectors.
"Before, our labor education seminars for the management and the labor sector were done separately. Ngayon (now), using the three core modules, the seminars and programs for both sectors will be jointly done with the government sector to guide the progress making it a tripartite procedure," Soriano said.
According to Soriano, the communication factor in the human relations aspect as to work out a kind of relationship between labor and management that is beneficial to both based on rules of the labor code.
Soriano, however, cleared that this program is not at all geared towards the removal of unions or even lessening the need for unionism.
"We cannot remove unions and that is not our focus with this program. We aim to improve human and labor relations at the company level to create an working climate that is conducive for more economic activity that will result to globally competitive products and services," Soriano said.
Jorge Alegarbes, Vice-Chair for the Labor Sector Representatives gathered Wednesday said that this structure will expedite the resolution of various concerns.
"Ma-raise and ma-resolve kaagad ang problema (the problem immediately) in this kind of consultation where the labor and management sit with the government in a discussion," Alegarbes said.
He added that this will erase the perception of management being "anti-union" as well as avoid on-sided discussions in either of the groups.
But Kilusang Mayo Uno differs from to Dole's vision that the LMEP can better address worker's basic woes especially that on low wages, non-existent benefits and inhuman working conditions.
"The program will only provide the most repressive capitalists more leeway to suppress the workers in asserting their rights," said Romulado Basilio, Chair of Kilusang Mayo Uno Southern Mindanao Region in a text message.
According to KMU, the management sector will pull out all stops to deprive workers their democratic space to discuss among themselves what’s good for them without the management pushing for their profit-greedy interests.
"They have done this before - placing labor management councils that favor them in lieu of grievance procedures," Basilio said.
KMU said there are more effective means to address the worker's woes, like collective bargaining negotiations and grievance procedures.
"Unfortunately, managements do not concede to these measures in principle because unlike LMEP n LMC's, these measures are more democratic and give workers high grounds for assertion," Basilio said.
