Workers' rights in rural sectors

Improved Workers' Rights in Rural Sectors of the Indo-Pacific with a Focus on Women

This ILO project, funded by the US Department of Labor (US DOL), aims to improve the promotion and compliance to labour laws, occupational safety and health, and gender equality in the rural sectors in the Philippines and Indonesia, with a focus on women workers.

Objectives

The Project aims to contribute in ensuring and sustaining improved working conditions, especially for women workers, through the improvement and promotion of labour laws compliance, occupational safety and health and gender equality, in the rural sectors in the Philippines and Indonesia. 

The project is implemented as part of Safety + Health for All, the ILO Flagship Programme – aimed at improving the safety and health of workers worldwide. Contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in reducing the incidence of fatal and non-fatal work-related accidents and diseases, the programme supports governments, employers, workers and other key stakeholders in developing and implementing solutions that work locally, and can be scaled globally, to create exponential improvements wherever they are needed. The project will benefit from the tools, strategies and good practices identified in the context of the Flagship Programme.

A woman worker from the banana-agriculture sector.

Project outcomes

The Project works closely with regional and country level partners to achieve the following target outcomes:

Long term outcomes
  • National frameworks for compliance to labour laws, gender equality and occupational safety and health (OSH) in rural sectors are enhanced.
  • Enhanced enabling environment for the promotion and compliance on labour laws, gender equality and occupational safety and health (OSH) in rural sectors in pilot enterprises and communities.
Medium term outcomes
  • National and regional tripartite mechanisms of industry tripartite partners in: (1) mainstreaming gender and sector specific labour issues in industry tripartite councils; and (2) Occupational Safety and Health in line with ILO Convention No 187 are enhanced.
  • Enhanced and improved gender-responsiveness in government’s monitoring, enforcement and remediation on labour and OSH.
  • Mechanisms and structures that promote compliance to labour laws, gender, and OSH in the supply chain of rural sectors, pilot enterprises and their communities are enhanced.
Short term outcomes
  • Enhanced and improved gender-responsiveness of national and regional level tripartite systems for developing and promoting labour laws in target sectors.
  • Promotional framework of industry tripartite partners for safety and health at work developed in the target sectors.
  • Inspection policy and processes on sector-specific labour laws, OSH and gender issues are improved.
  • Improved capacity of employers' and workers' organizations to promote compliance to gender, labour laws, OSH in the supply chain of target sectors.
  • Community level mechanisms on addressing gender equality, labour laws, and OSH in pilot communities are established and operational.
  • Gender-responsive workplace level mechanisms on labour laws compliance, and OSH are implemented.

Key priority activities

The project will focus on activities that aim to improve capacities of government and social partners through supporting the development of tripartite compliance plans, development of sector-specific standards, capacity building and competency-based programs and establishing and enhancing online systems; increase awareness of workers and employers’ organizations through the development of sector specific information, education and communication materials, and conduct of advocacy and education campaigns; and enhance gender responsiveness of systems and mechanisms in the rural sectors through gender supply chain mapping and localization and mainstreaming of gender laws and practices.

Implementing partners

Philippines

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and its relevant attached bureaus and agencies, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Philippine Commission of Women (PCW), the National OSH Inter-Government Coordination and Cooperation Committee (OSH-IGC3), Employers’ Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), their local chambers of commerce and member organisations belonging to these sectors, Sentro ng Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO), Federation of Free Workers (FFW), National Trade Union Congress (NTUC), Trade Union Congress of the Philippines - Associated Labour Unions (TUCP-ALU), Alliance of Workers in the Informal Economy/Sector (ALLWIES), other national and sectoral workers’ organisations, IndustriALL Global Unions, selected local government units, local workers’ groups, relevant civil society organisations and private compliance initiatives.

Indonesia

Ministry of Manpower (MoM), Ministry of Affairs and Fisheries (MoMAF), Ministry of Health (MoH), Indonesian Employers Association (APINDO), Indonesian Fisheries Association (GAPPINDO), Palm Oil Trade Union Network (JAPBUSI), Indonesia Tuna Association (ASTUIN), Indonesia Pole and Line and Handline Fisheries Association (AP2HI), and other local government units, sectoral business associations, and other workers’ groups.

For further information please contact:

Cerilyn Pastolero
Project Manager
ILO Country Office for the Philippines
Email: pastolero@ilo.org