Institute for Labor Studies ILS (ILS) banner logo
Philippine Standard Time

Research Briefs

The Economic Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) in the Philippines: A Descriptive Analysis

The rights to self-organization and collective bargaining and negotiation are promoted and protected by the State. Employers and employees engage in collective bargaining and enter into a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) to regulate employment terms and conditions and address industrial problems internal to the employment relationship and the workplace over which the parties have control. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought about undeniable adverse impacts to all sectors of the Philippine economy, with the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) latest Labor Force Survey (LFS) reporting that there are currently 3.5 million unemployed Filipinos and estimating the unemployment rate at 7.4% (2021). Those affected by these adverse impacts are unions, which engage in collective bargaining to improve their economic conditions.

Researcher: Marion Denise V. Bitonio

Read completed working paper

Click here to download