DOLE creates Council to promote Ph’s maritime industry

In line with the efforts to help the maritime industry keep up with the global trends, as well as to promote industrial peace and employment of Filipino seafarers, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has spearheaded the setting-up of the Maritime Industry Tripartite Council (MITC), in collaboration with seafarers groups, and local and overseas shipping agencies, DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz announced yesterday.

“The MITC will engage Filipino seafarer’s groups and the local and overseas shipping industry in the crafting of policies and programs for the advancement of the Philippine maritime industry, particularly in facilitating employment and in enhancing the welfare of Filipino seafarers and port workers,” Baldoz said at the signing of the memorandum of agreement creating the MITC.

She said the council will serve as a venue through which labor, management, and government can work together to address specific maritime labor and employment concerns and come up with commitments that balance the protection of workers and concerned stakeholders. The council will also serve as an advisory body to industry stakeholders in terms of policies and programs affecting the maritime industry.

Baldoz said that the tripartite composition of the council will effectively enable the social partners to identify industry specific issues; to anticipate maritime industry needs; and to strategize how the needs can be met.

“One such need is to cope with global trends, particularly technological changes and emerging international maritime standards,” she explained.

“The bottomline,” she added, “is to ensure that we are able to meet industry requirements to create a proper climate and an environment conducive to job generation in the maritime industry.”

Highlighting the importance of the maritime industry in generating jobs, Baldoz noted that with the MITC, the social partners should be ready to tackle and address common concerns through meaningful, open, and transparent dialogue.

She urged labor and maritime industry groups to prepare their respective agenda and convene the MITC at once so that it can hasten the consultative process, consensus decision making, and implementation of action plans for industry growth that should underscore the need to promote sea-based workers’ employment and welfare to sustain the country’s status as the world’s top supplier of competent seafarers.

Meanwhile, AMOSUP president Conrado Oca and Eduardo Manese, chairman of the Joint Manning Group, both expressed gratitude to the DOLE chief for jumpstarting the organization of the MITC.

Oca said the MITC is timely and necessary in addressing maritime issues, particularly in promoting the welfare of seafarers.

Manese said the MITC is the realization of tripartite cooperation and private-public partnership being pushed by President Benigno S. Aquino III.

During the signing, Undersecretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac, who will represent Secretary Baldoz at the MITC, said the council will consult with workers and management on maritime labor and employment issues and concerns, recommend solution through social dialogue, and other initiatives to promote labor-management cooperation and information sharing between and among maritime stakeholders for better facilitation of policymaking.

Cacdac added that the council will also review existing laws and regulations and propose measures and policy actions to ensure tripartite collaboration in implementing international and national programs and projects for seafarers and port workers.

“The MITC will be assisted by three committees: the Domestic Seafaring Committee, Overseas Seafring Committee, and Port Workers Committee which will serve as technical working groups on issues and concerns affecting seafarers and port workers.

Baldoz who pushed for the creation of MITC in line with the 22-point labor and employment agenda of the President, signed the agreement with the labor and management sectors in the maritime industry, together with other officials of government agencies, namely, Department of Foreign Affairs, Health, and Transportation and Communications; Maritime Industry Authority; Philippine Coast Guard; Philippine Ports Authority,; Social Security System; Commission on Higher Education; and the National Telecommunications Commission.

DOLE agencies which shall play distinctive role in the council are the Employees Compensation Commission, Maritime Training Council, National Conciliation and Mediation Board, National Labor Relations Commission, National Maritime Polytechnic, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, Professional Regulation Commission, and the Technical Education and Skills Development.

The other signatories to the memorandum of agreement were labor representatives from the Associated Marine Offcers and Seamen’s Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP), Federation of Free Workers (FFW), International Seamen’s Mutual Labor Association (IMSLA), Mariners and Allied Transport Employees Union (MATEU), Philippine Officers and Seamen’s Union (POSU), Port Workers Union of the Philippines (PWUP), Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), and United Filipino Seafarer’s (UFS) ?