What's New

Homenet Southeast Asia Joins a Conference-Workshop on OSH and other forms of Social Protection for the Informal Sector

Guided by the theme Advancing OSH and Other Forms of Social Protection in the Informal Sector, Homenet Southeast Asia was one of the convenor-sponsor organizations in a Conference-Workshop held at the School of Labor and Industrial Relations (SOLAIR) Auditorium, University of the Philippines, Diliman on July 13-14, 2007.

In its capacity as the voice of homeworkers in Southeast Asia, Homenet SEA pushed for the social protection concerns of the informals by asking the cooperation of governments in the region. Other participating organizations were ACIW (Association of Construction and informal Workers of the Philippines), which has been promoting a national program of upgrading jobs in the construction industry; AMRC(Asia Monitor Resource Center), which is observing Asia-wide its 30th Year through a series of awareness-raising programs on various labor concerns; FairTrade Alliance (Philippines), which seeks the extension of basic protection to all workers as part of economic fairness and justice; U.P. SOLAIR, which is observing in July its annual 'SOLAIR Month', and LO-FTF, a Danish union initiative in support of poverty reduction and decent jobs in developing economies.

The objectives of the said undertaking were: 1) to give a Philippine and Asian overview of the state of OSH and social protection in the informal sector, especially OSH concerns of the construction and home-based workers; 2) to identify possible and feasible policy and program responses to the social protection challenge which governments, industrial relations (IR) actors; and 3) informal sector organizations/NGOs may adopt, and to outline practical steps towards the development of a Magna Carta of social protection and health and safety for the informals in the Philippines and Asia.

On opening day, messages of welcome were delivered by Dean Jorge V. Sibal, UP SOLAIR, J Alibone Naboya, Programme Officer, Asian Desk, LO-FTF, and Senator Wigberto E. Tanada, Lead Convenor, Fair Trade Alliance, who emphasized full support towards “full employment and equality of employment opportunities for all” as embodied in Section 3, Article 13, of the Philippine Constitution.

This was followed by a panel discussi?n on Pressing OSH and Social Protection Concerns in the Informal Sector, composed of the following resource persons - Mynardo Palarca, Association of Construction and Informal Workers, (discussing ACIW’s initiatives and program strategies in the context of issues and needs of informal workers); Apo Leong, Asia Monitor and Resource Center (providing analytical insight on the scale of OSH problems in workplaces in Asia); Wilson Tiu, FairTrade, (discussing how fair trade can improve the plight of the informals); Rosalinda Pineda Ofreneo, Regional Coordinator, Homenet Southeast Asia, (providing analytical discussion on the initiatives of homeworkers and informal groups towards advancing OSH concerns in the sector); and Dean Jorge Sibal, UP SOLAIR, (discussing the promotion of labor protection in the informal sector through various labor standards), with Dr. Rene E. Ofreneo, UP SOLAIR, as moderator.
The afternoon session, facilitated by the Center for Labor Justice, UP SOLAIR, was devoted to a workshop on various issues surrounding the informal sector such as social protection and occupational safety and health.

Workshop on the Magna Carta for the Informals was scheduled on the second day, July 14. Activities in the morning consisted of an Overview of the Workshop Process by Dr. Rene E.Ofreneo, UP SOLAIR; Discussion on Standard Setting with Hanna Tubelonia, Division Chief, OSHC- DOLE and Atty. Glenda Litong, ESCR-Asia, on the topic The Formal-Informal Divide: Feasibility of OSH standards for informals (both resource persons provided analystical discussions on the provisions and limitations of OSH standards, current OSH programs/campaigns and current OSHC interventions, with some recommendations to further maximize informal sector gain, realizing that OSH makes good business sense); and Social Protection Experiences of Other Countries, with discussants Dr. Donna Doane, Homenet SEA (Southeast Asia and South Asian social protection experiences presented by Dr. Rosalinda Ofreneo),
Apo Leong, AMRC (discussing the basic rights for all workers, thus, magnifying the status of illegal workers in the context of accessing legal protection); and Melisa Serrano, UP SOLAIR (discussing the issues and concerns culled from country experiences, giving emphasis to “organization”, as that which can give voice and “formality” to the informals in terms of accessing social security benefits).

In the afternoon was a workshop session on the proposed Magna Carta for the Informal Sector, with the special features of the Magna Carta Bill presented by Josephine Parilla, representing PATAMABA and Homenet Philippines; the matrix of features of the Construction Bill presented by ACIW and from PHILCIDA, a proposed “Act to Strengthen the Construction Industry”. All the presentations elicited lively discussions among the participants, which also spurred the formation of a Technical Working Committee, whose role was not only to document workshop proceedings but to also ensure that all comments and suggestions from concerned subsectors pertinent to the proposed Magna Carta Bill are systematically put together. The two day forum was adjourned by Dean Jorge V. Sibal, UP SOLAIR, who also delivered the closing message.