[ad_1]
Secretary of Labor Silvestre Bello III. File photo of the INQUIRER / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
MANILA, Philippines – Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III on Wednesday dismissed fears raised by “doomsayers” that 200,000 Filipinos could lose their jobs if the business advantages enjoyed by the Philippines were revoked as requested by lawmakers. Europeans.
“There is no basis to fear what doomsayers describe as an imminent loss of some 200,000 jobs for our Filipino workers as a result of the possible withdrawal of the GSP + (Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus),” Bello said in a statement.
According to Bello, the Philippines has met the fundamental requirements and processes for the Philippines to continue enjoying the privileges of the GSP +.
He expressed confidence that the European Commission “will not find any valid and convincing reason” to revoke such benefits.
Due to the “severity of human rights violations” in the Philippines, European lawmakers sought the revocation of Manila’s benefits under the GSP +, which gives the country the privilege of exporting goods without tariffs to member states of the EU.
The GSP + scheme covers more than 6,200 products from the Philippines.
In a resolution adopted by the European Parliament, the European Commission was urged to “immediately initiate the procedure that could lead to the temporary withdrawal of GSP + preferences” in the absence of “substantial improvement and the willingness to cooperate on the part of Philippine authorities. “
“We did well in the country report to the European Commission that provides a scorecard of the Philippines’ compliance with 27 international conventions,” continued Bello.
The DOLE “participates actively in the process of providing updates and factual evidence, particularly in matters related to the observance of labor rights,” according to Bello.
He said the Philippines is the only Southeast Asian country that has ratified eight fundamental labor conventions.
These conventions, Bello said, include the Convention on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize, the Convention on the Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining, the Forced Labor Convention, the Abolition of Forced Labor Convention, the Minimum Age Convention, Worst Forms of Child Labor Convention, Remuneration Convention and Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention.
“Our government is doing everything possible to comply with all the requirements of the EU GSP + to promote the welfare of workers. Among them is the adoption of measures such as the Law on Safety and Health at Work, Extended Maternity Leave, and Discrimination against Age in Employment, ”said Bello.
“Our government recorded milestones in protecting and promoting the rights and well-being of our workers both locally and abroad. These are just some of the significant policies to support labor rights in the country and we will be relentless in this endeavor, ”added the union chief.
JPV
Read next
EDITOR’S SELECTION
MOST READ
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer and more than 70 other titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download from 4am and share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
For comments, complaints or inquiries, please contact us.
[ad_2]
