ECOP: TRIPARTISM SHOULD STILL BE THE NORM IN NEW NORMAL

The Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) vowed to continue espousing meaningful dialogues and multi-party consultations in confronting labor and other policy issues despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.

In a statement released coinciding with its 45th anniversary celebration, ECOP president Sergio Ortiz Luis Jr. said the group will remain steadfast to its commitment of representing and enhancing the Filipino employers’ interest in all levels of policy development and decision-making processes.

“We vow to continue to ensure the success of both bipartism and tripartism through the promotion of a harmonious social dialogue with our partners in order to shape an enabling policy and business environment for all,” Ortiz Luis Jr. stressed.

ECOP also assured its members and pertinent stakeholders that it will persevere in fostering a culture of compliance, capacitating employers with the right tools and skills to cope with emerging trends, and encouraging good corporate citizenship and other voluntary practices.

The group noted that the current year has been extraordinarily challenging to both businesses and workers across the entire globe, with the uncertainty occasioned by the challenges unabated.

“With a seemingly pessimistic future, we all continue to find ways to survive and thrive in the middle of this pandemic. COVID-19 did not only become a global health crisis but has also brought about an array of social and economic issues for the country and the world,” Ortiz Luis Jr. said.

He added: “Life and work as we know them have changed dramatically and have been significantly different from the one we used to know. But know this, no pandemic or disruption will hinder ECOP from fulfilling its mandate as the official voice and representative of employers in the Philippines. The journey towards recovery will be grueling and difficult but ECOP will continue the call for employers to become digital, agile, and resilient. We will also carry the theme and make it our mission to mold ECOP as a 21st century employer and business membership organization.”