Tagaytay City, Cavite - The Institute for Labor Studies (ILS) attends the Decent Work Country Programme Philippines 2020 to 2024 consultation workshop organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO), in partnership with the National Conciliation and Mediation Board, on April 4 to 5, 2024 in Tagaytay City, Cavite.

Senior Labor and Employment Officer Atty. Joanne Camille P. Bejarin represented the Institute in the workshop themed "Strengthening Workplace Consultation and Cooperation for Productive Industrial Relations: Consultation with Labor-Management Cooperation (LMCs)." The activity sought to (1) "understand the roles of bipartite mechanisms and their key players towards decent work and productivity;" (2) "review the best practices of labor-management committees/councils (LMCs) in strengthening workplace partnership mechanisms;" and (3) "discuss industrial relations challenges and gaps."

Aimed at improving the labor-management relations in the country, the two-day activity featured topics including workplace consultation, bipartite cooperations, dispute resolution, the roles, achievements, and challenges of labor-management committees, and collective bargaining as an industrial relations tool, among others.

NCMB Executive Director Maria Teresita D. Lacsamana-Cancio and Country Director Khalid Hassan of ILO Manila gave the opening messages and welcomed the participants during the two-day consultation workshop. Department of Labor and Employment Assistant Secretary Lennard Constantine C. Serrano gave the keynote message. The presenters of the consultation workshop were comprised of Arun Kumar, ILO Specialist for Social Dialogue and Collective Bargaining, and Julie Rodriguez, Chief Labor and Employment Officer of the NCMB Workplace Relations Enhancement Divisions. NCMB Deputy Executive Director Teresita E. Audea moderated the session on ways forward in pursuing a culture of collaborative industrial relations.

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