THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the National Electrification Administration (NEA) are working to establish a tripartite council for the electric cooperative industry.
In a statement on Wednesday, the DOLE said the council would “provide a permanent platform for addressing labor and employment concerns” in the industry.
“The initiative took a significant step forward during a coordination meeting, where DOLE and NEA officials discussed the composition and functions of the technical working group (TWG) responsible for drafting the operating guidelines for the Electric Cooperative Industry Tripartite Council (ECITC),” the DOLE said.
The meeting builds on discussions between NEA Administrator Antonio Almeda and Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino on Aug. 3, “during which the two agencies explored ways to strengthen interagency collaboration to promote and protect workers’ collective bargaining rights in unionized electric cooperatives,” it added.
The TWG will gather representatives from the Bureau of Labor Relations, National Conciliation and Mediation Board, National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council, and the labor sector, among others.
“Once established, the ECITC will serve as an institutionalized tripartite forum where the government, electric cooperative (EC) management, and workers can engage in meaningful social dialogue on labor and employment concerns, develop policy recommendations, and promote harmonious labor-management relations and industrial peace,” the DOLE said.
