Philippines’ Labor Rights Crisis: Illusion of Progress Amid Systemic Violations

Philippines’ Labor Rights Crisis: Illusion of Progress Amid Systemic Violations

By Bing Jabadan – TheNATIONWEEK.com | June 5, 2026

MANILA, Philippines – Despite its recent removal from the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)’s “10 Worst Countries for Workers” list, the Philippines’ labor rights landscape remains critically dire, underscored by its re-inclusion on the International Labour Organization (ILO) watchlist for persistent violations. Labor rights advocates assert that this nominal exit signifies no domestic improvement but rather reflects a global decline in worker protections.

The Philippines retains the ITUC’s highest severity rating of 5, indicating systematic and pervasive violations of all fundamental labor rights. This grim assessment is further validated by its re-entry to the ILO Committee on the Application of Standards’ shortlist, cited for ongoing breaches of Convention No. 98 on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining.

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) provides essential country assessments in the lead-up to and during the annual International Labour Conference (ILC). Its flagship publication, the ITUC Global Rights Index, is typically released at the onset of the ILC sessions.

Key Reports & Focus Areas:

Global Rights Index

This comprehensive report ranks 151 countries based on 97 indicators derived from International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions, assessing violations of civil liberties, the right to strike, and collective bargaining.

Layered Repression and Eroding Freedoms

Filipino workers face multifaceted repression, intensified by global economic instability. A primary tool of suppression is the Assumption of Jurisdiction (AJ) order. This executive power, wielded by the Labor Secretary, undermines constitutional rights and ILO Convention No. 87 by banning strikes, compelling workers to return to work, and dismantling picket lines.

The AJ order, rooted in the long-criticized Herrera Law, leaves workers vulnerable to wage suppression, aggressive union-busting, and bad-faith negotiations, as evidenced in recent disputes involving companies like Nexperia and educational institutions.

Compounding this is the pervasive informalization of labor, with approximately 74% of Filipino workers trapped in contractual, casual, or gig arrangements. These precarious roles offer no job security, social protection, or eligibility for union membership, effectively neutralizing collective bargaining power.

State-Sanctioned Abuses and Unaccountability

Even within the public sector, the state acts as a violator. The Philippine National Police (PNP) has actively obstructed the finalization of a Collective Negotiation Agreement (CNA) with its non-uniformed personnel union (NUPAI). Furthermore, a former NUPAI union leader, subjected to harassment, red-tagging, and dismissal for legitimate union activity, continues to await justice.

Government policies further dismantle worker protections. The Government Optimization Act enables restructuring that systematically weakens unions, while widespread privatization and outsourcing push workers into precarious roles, effectively stifling organized labor.

A Litany of Unaddressed Atrocities

The Workers’ Rights Watch Network highlights a continuing crisis characterized by:

Zero Accountability for Killings

Of 109 documented extrajudicial killings of workers, unionists, and labor activists since 2016, not a single perpetrator has been held accountable. Notorious cases include the March 2021 “Bloody Sunday” massacre, which claimed the life of veteran leader Manny Asuncion, and the subsequent killing of regional organizer Dandy Miguel.

Persistent Disappearances

Two labor organizers, Elizabeth “Loi” Magbanua (missing since May 2022) and William Lariosa (last seen in April 2024), remain unaccounted for.

Unjust Detentions

At least 20 labor leaders are currently detained on what advocacy groups describe as fabricated charges and planted evidence, with most arrests occurring during the previous administration.

Unabated Harassment

Harassment, surveillance, and systematic red-tagging of labor activists persist nationwide, particularly in the Southern Tagalog and Southern Mindanao regions.

While the current administration issued Executive Order No. 97, ostensibly banning red-tagging in the labor sector and affirming workers’ rights, advocates assert it has delivered no tangible change. Abuses continue unabated, no state personnel have been held liable, and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), a key perpetrator of systematic red-tagging, remains fully operational.

A Call for Global Vigilance

“The state is not protecting freedom of association — it is actively eroding it,” stated a spokesperson for the Workers’ Rights Watch Network. They call for sustained global labor solidarity to defend fundamental rights and demand genuine reform.

Advocates urge international labor bodies like the ITUC and ILO to maintain rigorous scrutiny of the Philippines’ record, emphasizing the need to look beyond official claims of reform and recognize the ongoing, systemic abuses. “We trust these institutions will remain vigilant and see through the government’s pretensions of upholding workers’ rights,” the group affirmed. The Philippines’ apparent improved ranking on global lists is, in reality, a dangerous illusion masking a deepening crisis for its workforce.