Application of International Labour Standards (ILS)

Trade for Decent Work Project

The ILO-EU Trade for Decent Work Project (Trade4DW) in the Philippines is part of the global Trade for Decent Work Project, which was established in 2019 by both the European Commission (EC) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) to help improve labour relations and working conditions, and ensure better application of international labour standards (ILS) in the EU’s trading partner countries, including the Philippines.

Several outputs of the project are co-funded by RBSA PHL129 Project “Improved social dialogue, tripartism and better application of basic rights on freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining” (PHL/20/01/RBS).

Overall Objective:

Effective application of International Labour Standards (ILS) particularly, freedom of association and collective bargaining (FoA CB) in the Philippines as beneficiary country of EU's Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (EU-GSP+) trade arrangement.

Specific Objective:

Promoting social dialogue for improved compliance, better application of ILS, particularly FoA CB, and COVID-19 responses (in garments, coconuts and sardines and selected special economic zones) and support national compliance and alignment with EU-GSP+ with respect to labour rights.

Intermediate Outcomes:

  • Enhanced employers's institutional capacity to promote gender-sensitive sustainable business practices, compliance and social dialogue in selected industries and ecozones.
  • Improved trade union services to support monitoring of workers' and and women's rights in the workplace, including COVID19-related issues.
  • Tripartite social dialogue mechanisms enhanced at ecozone level, with balanced participation of women, men, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) workers representing workers, employers and the government, especially, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), that adopts and monitors gender-sensitive strategic compliance plans or Voluntary Codes of Good Practice (VCPG) that would ensure alignment with EU-GSP+.
  • Strengthened enterprise/ecozone-level bipartite mechanisms that are better able to adopt gender-sensitive and inclusive compliance plans and protocols that align with national and international labour standards, laws and policies including occupational safety and health (OSH) and COVID-19-related protocols and concerns, especially those that align with EU-GSP+ access.
  • Improved institutional frameworks for dispute resolution/case management.

Implementing Partners:

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), other national government agencies (such as Commission on Human Rights (CHR), Department of Agriculture (DA), Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), and so on), Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), Philippine Exporters Confederation (Philexport), and workers’ organizations and trade unions.


For further information, please contact:

Mr Bryan Balco
National Project Manager, ILO-EU Trade for Decent Work Project
ILO Country Office for the Philippines
Email