KILUSANG MAYO UNO FB PAGEBy Chloe Mari A. Hufana,Reporter
VIOLATIONS of freedom of association and union rights remain widespread in the Philippines despite government reforms and international scrutiny, according to a report by the Federation of Free Workers and the Danish Trade Union Development Agency released on Monday.
The 2024 report detailed a surge in threats, harassment, red-tagging, and extrajudicial killings of trade union leaders, raising concerns about the country’s commitment to upholding international labor standards.
The findings come two years after the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) High-Level Tripartite Mission visited the Philippines to investigate systematic violations of labor rights, including the targeting of trade unionists under the government of ex-President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
While the Philippine government initially agreed to a set of reforms, labor groups argued the measures taken so far are insufficient, with many of the most serious violations continuing.
“The state of labor rights and freedom of association in the Philippines remains critical, marked by ongoing violations that occur with impunity,” according to the 98-page report.
“Despite the recommendations from the ILO High-Level Tripartite Mission, the government has not implemented meaningful reforms to address these abuses or dismantle the entrenched culture of impunity,” it said, adding that the government’s “persistent failure” to probe labor-related violence has weakened the legal frameworks designed to protect workers’ rights.
The tripartite roadmap on freedom of association, the establishment of an inter-agency body for labor rights and the issuance of omnibus guidelines on freedom of association and civil liberties remain superficial an ineffective, according to the report.
While these initiatives were initially framed as significant steps toward strengthening labor rights, workers continue to face systematic repression, it added.
Reports between February 2023 and December 2024 showed that extrajudicial killings, abductions, red-tagging and harassment remain rampant.
The tripartite freedom of association roadmap, which promised better coordination among government agencies, employers and labor groups, has yet to deliver meaningful progress, it noted.
Trade unions reported that violations remain widespread, and the mechanisms for addressing complaints have failed to hold perpetrators accountable.
Similarly, the guidelines on freedom of association, which aimed to regulate law enforcement and military interventions in labor disputes, lack enforceability.
These guidelines do not include penalties for violations, allowing security forces to continue harassing union leaders without consequence, the federation said.
It also slammed the capacity-building initiatives of the Labor department for failing to reach the very organizations that have suffered the most from labor rights abuses.
Many unions whose leaders were killed after being tagged as communists were excluded from government training sessions on freedom of association, it added.
“Rather than implementing substantive reforms to safeguard labor rights, the government has repeatedly downplayed these incidents or justified them as necessary for national security,” it said.
“For instance, despite assurances that the tripartite freedom of association roadmap would enable effective monitoring and resolution of labor rights abuses, documented cases between February 2023 and December 2024 indicate that violations continue unabated.”
Sustained advocacy, stronger legal protections and global pressure on the Philippine government are critical to break the cycle of repression and ensure that workers’ rights to organize and demand economic justice are fully upheld, the labor group said.
The report called for an end to killings, enforced disappearances, red-tagging and harassment of trade unionists, alongside thorough investigations and swift resolution of cases, including the release of detained trade unionists and the dismissal of fabricated charges.
It also demanded a review of the state’s anti-insurgency campaign, which it said has been weaponized against labor organizers, and stronger protection for freedom of association in both the public and private sectors.
On the legislative front, the labor group sought the repeal of the Anti-Terrorism law, which it said has been misused to criminalize labor organizing, as well as the passage of a Human Rights Defenders law, Security of Tenure law, and Anti-Union Interference law to protect workers from unfair dismissal and union-busting tactics.
Judicial reforms are also necessary, including engaging the Supreme Court chief justice in a high-level dialogue to enhance worker protection, developing a “writ of manggagawa (worker)” and addressing legal obstacles to prosecuting those responsible for labor-related killings and abductions.
The report was conducted with funding from the European Union.
