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The renewable energy sector emerges as a key economic growth sector, with wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass subsectors promising substantial employment opportunities amid the country’s green economy shift. This study examines the human resource development situation and decent work conditions in the Philippines' renewable energy sector, aiming to create a roadmap for green jobs. Based on the surveys conducted with respondents composed of 32 renewable energy companies with 500 workers, the research revealed a growing demand for skilled workers, particularly in operations, maintenance, and project development. However, it also identified skills gaps in both technical and soft skill areas, with 75 percent of companies reporting difficulty filling technical positions.
Read more: Green Jobs and Renewable Energy: A Sectoral Human Resource Development Roadmap
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The Social Amelioration Program (SAP) was institutionalized with the passage of Republic Act No. 6982, otherwise known as the Sugar Amelioration Act of 1991. SAP is a production sharing scheme that aims to improve the social and economic conditions of sugar workers and their families. While SAP was intended to augment the income and help the sugar workers enjoy a decent living, there are structural inequalities that are deeply embedded in the sugarcane industry which cause the transmission of inter-generational poverty. There are sugar workers that have remained marginalized owing to the migratory nature of their work, their lack of access to social protection, and the precarious work conditions (Maslang, 2014).
Using the transformative social protection framework, it identifies some key areas for improvement in implementing SAP as a social protection program. The timely and disaggregated data are essential for effectively targeting interventions for sugar workers. Strengthening governance and mechanisms is also necessary to enhance access to social protection interventions, especially at the local level. Further, there is a need for more integrated components within SAP to ensure a comprehensive approach. However, there is a potential that SAP to be transformative by strategically incorporating protective, preventive, and promotive measures, which can mitigate inequalities, and create opportunities for all individuals in the sugar industry to thrive and achieve the desired outcomes of effective coverage, sustainable livelihood, and decent work.
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Mental health plays a crucial role in workers’ well-being, job performance, and labor productivity, the same way physical health does. Occupational safety and health standards often address this by implementing stress management programs, mental health services, and workplace policies. However, there is a dearth of information relative to the effective occupational structure, support mechanisms, compensation benefits, and public advocacy among existing policies on workplace mental health. Hence, this research aimed to understand the factors of workplace psychological hazards to workers’ mental health by documenting work stressors or risk factors and identifying mechanisms for addressing mental health at work to provide recommendations on workplace mental health prevention and protection policies.
Read more: Mental Health at Work: Determinants of a Safe and Healthy Workplace
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The research seeks to examine how labor management councils/committees (LMC) and grievance machineries (GM) contribute to the attainment of industrial peace by conducting a survey, facilitating key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Using a triangulation approach in analyzing quantitative and qualitative data, the study found that LMCs and GMs in general contributed to industrial peace by helping decrease the number of cases of the DOLE. LMCs have a more positive perception compared to GMs which may be attributable to how GMs are structured as a mechanism where a labor issue is already present. The study established the positive linkage between these bipartite mechanisms and industrial peace which are driven by transparency, open communication, participative decision-making, and provision of incentives which create an enabling environment for workers and managements. Though implementation issues are present, LMCs and GMs stay true to the constitutional mandate that labor dispute resolution is a shared responsibility of workers and employers. Revisiting the policy direction and implementation of LMC and GM could further increase their reach and effectiveness in achieving industrial peace by ensuring labor justice for all.
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The Philippine government promotes a competitive business climate with the goal to make the country a prime investment destination in Southeast Asia. With the growing global demand to incorporate human rights due diligence in business operations, fostering an enabling environment based on sound industrial, social, and labor policies are some strategies to attract more investment. To better understand how enforcing labor laws to promote decent work affect investments in the country, the study benchmarked practices of both exporting-local and investing-multinational companies in terms of their labor standards compliance and labor-management relations. The study noted that companies in the Philippines, including Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) locators with foreign equity have been generally compliant with the national labor laws and have innovative supply chain practices to address child and forced labor issues; to promote gender equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace; to mitigate occupational safety and health risks; and to institutionalize grievance machinery to resolve workplace issues. There are companies that also adopted internationally recognized frameworks and guidance like UNGP BHR and Human Rights Due Diligence framework and OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct to ensure that the company’s business operations exercise due diligence.