Josephine “Olive” Parilla Homenet Philippines

1. Josephine “Olive” Parilla Homenet Philippines

2. HOMENET PHILIPPINES • The vision of Homenet Philippines is “a society that recognizes the human rights of all workers, both formal and informal, women and men, without any discrimination based on gender, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, and other differentiating factors, towards the social, political, and economic empowerment of homebased workers through their own organized groups and networks”. • For its mission, Homenet Philippines will facilitate the consolidation of all homebased workers, particularly women in the country, and develop their capability to effect changes in policies, legislation, programs and services in their interest.

3. OBJECTIVES/ GOALS • Empower homebased workers, particularly women, as one of the main components of the informal economy which absorbs the majority of all working people; • Facilitate the organization and consolidation of homebased workers throughout the Philippines towards a common transformative agenda, and an integrated and comprehensive system of programs and services to benefit them that will involve all stakeholders;

4. OBJECTIVES/ GOALS • Develop the capabilities of homebased workers to gain visibility, recognition, participation, and representation in relevant decision-making bodies of government (national government agencies, local government units, government owned and controlled corporations, government financing institutions, etc.), trade unions, cooperatives, development organizations, and other relevant groups; and • Improve access to productive resources, social protection and justice

5. Members of Homenet Philippines • Homenet Philippines is a broad coalition of twenty (23) diverse groups from the national down to the local membership based organizations with homeworker constituencies mostly women; • Has a total numbers of more than 70,000.00.

6. HOMENET PHILIPPINES IN ACTION

7. Sectoral Issues: INVISIBILITY IN STATISTICS & LACK OF REPRESENTATION/RECOGNITION Issues LACK OF ACCESS TO SOCIAL SECURITY, JUSTICE & PROTECTIONOF WORKPLACES & PROTECTION FROM VIOLENCE LACK OF ACCESS TO PRODUCTIVE RESOURCES

8. Globalization...downsizing & flexible labor force F L E X I B L E Part-time Commission- paid Labor Contracting Rigid Employment Regular Employment (Rigid Employment) Contractual worker Casual worker Jobs & Service contracting E M P L O Y M T N Home worker Boundary Macaraya, 1999: The NewEmployment Relations..Phils.

9. Gender & Employment • Gender gaps in male-female economic participation rates have been narrowing.(However, these “improvements” in women’s employment are occurring during a period of declining real wages and bad working conditions for workers). • Improvements in women’s access to credits, information and markets • Agricultural sector declined while the service sector expanded • Increased employment of women in export-oriented industries • New service sector jobs (IT such as call centers….) • While new service jobs were created, in the garments industrty, jobs were lost. • Increasing feminization of new hires deployed overseas. • “Brain-drain” and deskilling of Filipino workers continue to be noted Source: NCRFW Report on the “State of Filipino Women, 2001-2003 Paper Presentation on OSH in CEPZ, OSCH Conference, Oct. 14, 1999 Jeanne Francis Illo, Women and Gender Institute, Miriam College

10. Female & Male Labor Force Participation Rate1999-2005Source : NSO Year Labor force participation rate Unemployment rate Female Male Male-female gap Female Male Male-female gap 1999 49.9 81.6 31.7 9.3 9.7 0.4 2000 48.4 80.3 31.9 9.9 10.3 0.4

11. What are the most important issues it is trying to address as a network? Invisibility Social protection, including occupational safety and health Access to resources Access to justice Labor rights(MACWIE) , women's rights (Magna Carta on Women and reproductive Health bill)

12. House Bill 1955“An Act Providing For A Magna Carta For Workers In The Informal Economy, Institutionalizing Mechanism For Implementation Thereof And For Other Purposes” decent work deficits Total well being and human dignity • survival activities • homeworkers whose employment relationship is not recognized or protected • self-employed and employers who face various barriers and constraints to setting up and operating formal enterprises • (ILC: 2002) access to social protection access to justice economic advancement recognition/economic contribution statistical invisibility promotion of gender equity elimination: child labor Voice and representation

13. Decent Work As a Goal(development-oriented, poverty reduction focused and gender-equitability) DEFICITS : • Poor-quality, unproductive and unremunerative jobs that are not recognized or protected by law • Absence of rights at work • Inadequate social & legal protection • Lack of representation and voice progressive approach in a continuum Workers are workers ! ILC: 2002

14. ILC 2002 : Integrated and comprehensive strategy to achievedecent work along the continuum • Assess where we are now? • Recognize contributions of the ILO constituents to where we are now? • Recognize contributions of non-ILO constituents (IS organizations and civil society) to where we are now? • People-centered plan DECENT WORK Phil Common AGENDA

15. PHIL DECENT WORK COMMON AGENDA RIGHTS AT WORK EMPLOYMENT and ENTERPRISES SOCIAL PROTECTION/SECURITY SOCIAL DIALOGUE

16. WIS Governance Framework ….(RA 8425++) • Social security, justice, protection of workplaces & protection from violence • Human development services • Asset reform • Participation in governance • Employment in enterprises & services Partners W I E Luzon Visayas Mindanao Organizing & Monitoring Advocacy: Policies, Programs, Legislations, projects Participatory Decision-Making IS,TU’s. NGO’s, PO’s, NGA’s,LGU’s and Private Sector Awareness Raising/ Capability Building of LGU’s Direct Assistance

17. 5 Poverty Reduction Thrust S.H.A.P.E. From minimal to integrated approach • Social security, justice & protection of/at workplaces from violence • Human Development Services • Asset Reform • Participation in governance • Employment in enterprises MAINSTREAM INSTITUTIONALIZE

18. Is S.H.A.P.E. in? MTPDP CPAP MDG-UN LGU's NGA's POVERTY REDUCTION PRIVATE SECTOR W I E’s ILO: Decent Work PGMA's 10-point Agenda

19. How do we link with Trade Unions, locally and internationally?

20. Locally: • sponsoring a dialogue with trade unions on ILC 177, re Homeworkers; • asking TUs to sign resolution for ratification of ILC 177; • coordinating with TUs on the decent work agenda of the NTAC to include WIE concerns; • spearheading the formation of MAGNA CARTA OF WORKERS IN THE INFORMAL SECTOR ALLIANCE (MAGCAISA) with the participation

21. of TUs in the construction works, academe and other civil society groups outside Homenet Phils; • participating in many Labor Agenda Forum and presentation of HB 1955 (MACWIE); • presenting WIE concerns on the reproductive health bill, magna carta of in a forum for TUs and other workers' orgs • celebrating Informal Workers' Day with  solidarity support from TUs

22. Internationally:  • Participation of international forum on labor, women rights together with TUs and other workers' orgs in Asia • Networking with SEWA, the biggest trade union of homebased workers (1.1 million members) and the first to be recognized by  ITUC. • Supporting the campaign for an ILC on domestic workers as demanded by unions of domestic workers in Asia • Presenting papers in international ASEAN and Asian conferences on how to bridge the gender and formal/informal divide in the labor movement

23. What are its successes so far? What are the current challenges? What are some of the ways to move forward?

24. Successes: • ILO 177 became a priority in the decent work agenda • Formation of MAGCAISA • Filing of MACWIE • Widening of campaign on social security and protection for  WIE through dialogues with SSS, Philhealth, and preparation of shadow report on the ICESCR • Circulation of positions on the Magna Carta of Women, RH bill, ILC 177

25. Challenges: • Dealing with differences within the network • Resource generation for sustainability of legislative initiatives which can take years • Misunderstanding and lack of appreciation from some male TU leaders • Dealing with harsh realities-- food, fuel, and financial crises as they affect WIE

26. Ways forward: • Respecting differences, uniting on commonalities, bonding based on past struggles and successes • Pushing for wider labor unity -- men and women, formal and informal • Stronger links with both the workers' and the women's movements • Working for greater national and international solidarity of the working poor 

27. Thank you