The European Union expressed concern over the Philippines' compliance with the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention (C98) during the International Labour Conference in Geneva on 8 June 2026. In a statement delivered on behalf of the EU and its member states, the bloc noted with concern the lack of detailed information provided by the Philippine government on allegations of union-busting, blacklisting, and anti-union dismissals raised by the International Trade Union Confederation and the ILO Committee of Experts.
The statement, issued by the EU Delegation to the UN in Geneva, recalled that the Philippines ratified Convention C98 in 1949 and highlighted the Committee of Experts' observation that the government needs to intensify efforts to ensure all workers can effectively benefit from the convention's guarantees. The EU called on the government to engage in dialogue with social partners to operationalise collective bargaining for self-employed workers and non-standard workers, including those in the informal economy, and to allow public sector employees not engaged in state administration to negotiate wages, benefits, allowances, and working time.
While welcoming an increase in the number of collective agreements, the EU expressed concern that the number of workers covered remains extremely low relative to the overall working population. The EU urged the government to take all necessary legal and practical measures to promote collective bargaining under Convention 98 and invited it to avail itself of ILO technical assistance.
The statement was aligned with candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, and the Republic of Moldova, as well as EFTA country Norway. The EU committed to following the situation closely.
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