DoLE calls for unity in Asean labor standards

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example, Maglungsodthe need cited, for amongan even others salary as scale and unified occupational and health standards in work places and other best practices that can be uniformly adopted by the Asean-member countries.

He pointed out that a unified stand on important labor standards would protect Asean countries from being taken advantage of by more prosperous states.

“Hopefully we can have a common unity in the whole of the Asean. We should have at least a standard because usually Asean nations, it appears, are being used by rich countries. They [rich countries] will say they are moving [their operations] to another Asean country because it has a much cheaper labor. It’s unfair, thus the need for standards,” Maglungsod said.

He, however, pointed out that whatever will be agreed upon at the end of the conference can only be enforced by a member- country in accordance with its laws.

“We can’t enforce it because each member-country has its laws. What is important is we have an understanding, a unity on what we are going to do,” he said.

In the same conference, the labor group Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines and global union federation Building and Woodworkers International (BWI) called for improved labor standards and safer workplace in the light of the mobility of some nine million workers in the growing economic integration among Asean member-countries.

BWI General Secretary Ambet Yuson said there is a need to raise the level of workers’ participation in the Asean, national and local levels to avoid a race to the bottom among workers in the regional bloc.

“We have achieved minimum social dialogue in the region but it is not sufficient to gain social and economic justice for Asean workers. Social and economic justice should be Asean’s goal alongside economic growth through integration,” Yuson added.