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THE
Philippine government, labor groups and local crewing
associations have forged an agreement Tuesday which will
eventually lead to the establishment of a maritime labor
arbitration system.
The
body, which will be identified as the Maritime Industry
Arbitration Council, will function as an ad hoc body
under Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). It will
be tasked to reduce frivolous cases involving seafarers,
which have burdened agencies for so long, Acting Labor
Secretary Marianito Roque said after the signing of the
memorandum of agreement with stakeholders.
Headed
by the executive director of the National Conciliation
and Mediation Board (NCMB), the body will have one
representative each from the labor sector and the
crewing industry.
Although
the Labor department is still forming a technical
working group to study the number of maritime cases that
can be resolved through voluntary arbitration, Roque
said the NCMB will act as the body’s temporary
secretariat. In doing so, the temporary secretariat will
be able to mediate cases piling up at the National Labor
Relations Commission.
“We just
aim to reduce the number of [maritime] cases that need
resolution without waiting for so long,” Roque told
reporters.
The NCMB
only handles about one maritime case per month,
according to Maritime Office chief Noriel Devanadera.
According to the agreement, the new body will promote
the use of voluntary arbitration, establish a system to
attract voluntary arbitrators, disenfranchise erring
practitioners and fix and determine the fees and costs.
“The
operational costs, including cost of training of
arbitrators, shall be funded by the industry. Additional
funding may be sourced from a percentage of arbitrators’
fees as fixed and determined by the council,” according
to the agreement.
Under
current regulations, all cases of claims and disputes
covered by the collective bargaining agreement should
submit their claims to the voluntary arbitrators or
panel or arbitrators. Those covered by CBAs should
either go and submit their claims to NLRC or to
arbitrators.
Besides
the DOLE, crewing associations which signed the
agreement include the Conference of Maritime Manning
Association, Filipino Association for Mariners’
Employment, International Maritime Association of the
Philippines Inc., Philippine-Japan Consultative Council,
Philippine Association of Manning Agencies and Ship
Managers Inc., Filipino Shipowners’ Association,
Philippine Association of Maritime Institution, Master
and Mates Association of the Philippines Marine Engine
Officers Association of the Philippines, and Philippine
Maritime Voluntary Arbitrators Association.
Labor
unions which agreed to the arrangement are the
Associated Marine Officers Seaman Union of the
Philippines,
International Seaman’s Union Mutual Labor Association,
Mariners’ and Allied Transport Employees Union,
Philippine Seaman’s Union, and United Filipino
Seafarers. |
