Biggest Philippine labour union supports renewal of FTA with EU, GSP+

30 May '23

2 min read

Pic: Adobe Stock

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The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines is supporting the call by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for renewing both the Philippines-European Union free trade agreement, which will expire this year, and the EU Generalised Scheme of Preference Plus.
The renewal of both would be a 'win-win' for employers and workers, the union said in a statement.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) recently came out in support of the call by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for renewing both the free trade agreement (FTA) between the Philippines and the European Union (EU), which will expire this year, and the EU Generalised Scheme of Preference Plus (GSP+).

The country's biggest labour union said the renewal of both would be a ‘win-win’ for employers and workers as that would mean more decent employment opportunities and ease in finding employment.

"Increasingly, trade is linked to promotion and respect for the fundamental principles and rights at work (FPRW), which embrace all the eight core ILO Conventions and the two additional conventions on Occupational Safety and Health," TUCP vice president Luis Corral said in a statement.

The country's observance of ILO Convention 87 has seen at least three high-level ILO technical missions since 2009. The latest was the January 2023 High Level Tripartite Mission, which reiterated the long-standing concerns on anti-union violence, political profiling and impunity.

"Addressing long-standing workers' issues, passing the long-committed labor legislations to align the Labor Code with the core standards, and pursuing the ratification of essential ILO conventions will show the Marcos Administration's firm commitment to the fundamental principles," Corral was quoted as saying by Philippine media reports.

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