As the Makabayan bloc of legislators filed two bills today protecting workers’ right to form unions, a labor NGO said that these bills should be prioritized by the government to help workers cope with the current economic crisis and remove the dangers being posed by exercising the right.

The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) hailed Representatives Sarah Elago of Gabriela Women’s Party, Renee Co of Kabataan Partylist, and Antonio Tinio of ACT Teachers Partylist for filing today House Bills 9650 and 9649, known as “Hands Off Our Unions” and “Repeal Assumption of Jurisdiction” bills, respectively, that aim to protect workers’ right to unionize.

“Amidst the economic crisis, workers are striving to defend and advance the state of their labor rights. The least the government can do is respect workers’ rights to unionize. Instead, what we are seeing are the government and employers attacking these rights,” said Kamz Deligente, CTUHR executive director.

The “Hands Off Our Unions” bill bans the harassment, redtagging or vilification of workers, unionists and labor activists who seek to form labor unions and advance workers’ rights. The “Repeal Assumption of Jurisdiction” bill, meanwhile, junks Article 278 of the Labor Code, which gives the Labor Secretary the power to assume jurisdiction over labor disputes to prevent or quell strikes.

“Government practices have for years been hindering workers’ exercise of their right to unionize. The bills filed by Makabayan today aim to stop these practices. We are calling on Congress and the government to prioritize these bills’ passage in the interest of Filipino workers,” Deligente added.

Deligente cited the cases of harassment suffered by unionists in the Southern Tagalog and Southern Mindanao regions at the hands of suspected state agents in 2025. She said these incidents disrupt union organizing efforts and spread fear among labor activists, unionists and workers in those regions and across the country.
https://ctuhr.org/…/despite-marcos-jr-rights-order…/

CTUHR also cited the Labor Secretary’s assumption of jurisdiction on the labor disputes in electronics giant Nexperia in February 2025, motorcycle maker Kawasaki in November 2025, and the Ateneo de Manila University in December 2025. In January this year, a strike injunction was imposed on the labor dispute in the Centro Escolar University (CEU).
https://ctuhr.org/…/ceu-faculty-and-staff-have-right…/

“In the Philippines, being a unionist or a labor activist, or joining a strike, pose dangers to the lives, safety and well-being of Filipino workers. This should not be the case, and so laws must be created to ensure that the right to unionize, a most important and sacred labor right, is protected,” Deligente added.