Solidarity message at the Alab for love pride Philippine festival and pride march

By Mr Bryan Balco, Project Manager of the ILO EU Trade for Decent Work, ILO Country Office for the Philippines at the Alab for love pride Philippine festival and pride march, 25 June 2022, Quezon City, Philippines

Statement | Quezon City, Philippines | 25 June 2022
Dear friends, social partners and allies of the LGBTIQ+ Filipino community, a pleasant morning to you all!

The International Labour Organization Country Office for the Philippines (ILO CO-Manila) is proud to join you all in this momentous event that celebrates inclusion, equality, diversity and respect for human dignity.

As the primary agency of the United Nations (UN) dedicated to the promotion of labour rights, decent work and lasting based upon social justice, the ILO is one with the LGBTIQ+ community, especially LGBTIQ+ workers, in the struggle for a fairer, more equal, more inclusive and more diverse workplaces in the context of the right to freely organize, form and join unions, specifically LGBTIQ+ workers’ organizations and associations, and foster collective bargaining agreements that advance LGBTIQ+ workers’ welfare and gender sensitivity in the workplace.

Towards this end, the ILO, at the global level, recently launched the Inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) persons in the world of work: A learning guide.

This guide aims to promote safe and inclusive working environments for LGBTIQ+ persons and also capacitate government, workers and employers in addressing their regular experiences of discrimination, harassment, bullying, stigmatization and denial of equal employment opportunities. At the same time, the guide provides knowledge, approaches and strategies on how systemic discrimination against LGBTIQ+ workers can be countered inclusion and diversity workplace policies, legal protections, freedom of association and social dialogue, and collective bargaining for LGBTQIA+ workers’ rights, among others.

We have set up an ILO Pride Expo Booth, which you can freely visit and get copies of the said ILO LGBTIQ+ Learning Guide and other ILO publications on decent work, freedom of association, labour standards, and labour law compliance for both large and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

We hope LGBTIQ+ Filipino workers will become more aware of the ILO’s work not just in the country but around the world in advocating for the recognition of the equal rights, equal value and equal dignity of every LGBTIQ+ person, which is essential in building a more equal and inclusive post-pandemic world of work.

Maraming salamat at mabuhay (Thank you very much and long live)!