LONG-RUNNING labor concerns in electric cooperatives will now be handled through a permanent tripartite mechanism after workers, employers and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) agreed to create a sector-specific council.
The National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council (NTIPC) approved the establishment of the Electric Cooperative Industry Tripartite Council (ECITC), which will serve as a continuing venue for addressing labor and employment issues in the sector.
Labor Secretary Francis N. Tolentino said concerns involving the National Electrification Administration (NEA) and electric cooperative workers have persisted for around a decade.
‘This matter has been going on for ten years,’ Tolentino said in Filipino.
The creation of the council followed a recent dialogue between the labor department and NEA over concerns affecting the implementation of collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) in electric cooperatives.
Tolentino said discussions should balance the financial condition of cooperatives with the right of workers to organize and negotiate collectively.
‘NEA has the right to balance its books, but electric cooperative workers also have the right to form unions and negotiate with them,’ he said.
The new council will bring together representatives of government, labor and management to discuss sector-wide concerns and seek agreements before disputes escalate.
It will also serve as a continuing forum for consultation and consensus-building on labor-management relations, including issues surrounding the implementation of CBAs.
The initiative builds on earlier efforts by labor and energy authorities to improve collective bargaining in electric cooperatives, including capacity-building activities for union and management representatives.
DOLE and NEA signed an agreement in 2024 aimed at strengthening collective bargaining in the sector, followed by training activities on CBA negotiations and implementation involving the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB).
Tolentino said the tripartite approach is intended to find common ground among parties rather than require one sector to adopt the position of another, as the government seeks to prevent recurring labor disputes while protecting both workers’ rights and the viability of electric cooperatives.