Strengthening of the Labor Relations Services of the Ministry of Labor and Employment

May 1, 1985

LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS NO. 1459

ON THE STRENGTHENING OF THE LABOR RELATIONS SERVICES OF THE MINISTRY OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT

WHEREAS, the pursuit of just and harmonious labor-management relations is an integral part of the process of national development;

WHEREAS, recent changes in the economic and political contexts of labor and industry have given rise to intense conflicts in the arena of labor-management relations as evidenced by increasing incidence of labor disputes and strikes;

WHEREAS, the quality of industrial relations in the country has direct impact on the country's social, political and economic stability especially during times of crisis;

WHEREAS, the present capability of the government's labor dispute settlement machinery should be strengthened to respond to the demands of present labor relations problems as indicated by generally increasing rates of labor dispute;

WHEREAS, the country's labor relations machinery needs to bolster its corps of conciliators, med-arbiters and labor arbiters, facilitate disposition of arbitration cases, and expand legal assistance to indigent workers;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and the authority vested in me by Presidential Decree No. 1416, as amended, do hereby and direct the following:

1. The Ministry of Labor and Employment shall: a) Launch "Project Expedite" to facilitate the disposition of case backlogs including those of overseas contract workers at the National Labor Relations Commission and its arbitration branches; b) Create Mobile Tasks Forces composed of conciliators and other appropriate officers, empowered to immediately respond to strike and lockout notices, actual strikes and lockouts, and hold conciliation conference at the picketlines where necessary; c) establish a comprehensive Free Legal Assistance Program for indigent workers particularly those victimized by illegal recruiters to be administered by the Legal Service which may hire senior law students for this purpose.

2. The Chairman of the Philippine Overseas and Employment Administration shall release P5 million from its Special Account 185 deposited at the National Treasury to augment the NLRC budget for maintenance and operating expenses and to defray the cost of operation of "Project Expedite" and another P2 million to cover the costs of implementing the Free Legal Assistance Program. cd i

3. The Chairman and the Director General of the Economic Support Fund Council shall release $2 million to finance the activities of the Mobile Task Forces.

4. The Minister of Budget shall immediately approve the release by the POEA and the ESFC of the aforementioned funds to the respective MOLE agencies concerned.

This Letter of Instructions shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this First day of May, in the year of our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five.