Govt, seamen, manning firms sign MOA on arbitration system

MANILA, Philippines - The government has signed an agreement with seamen’s groups and manning agencies on a labor arbitration system and on voluntary arbitration (VA) in settling labor disputes.

Acting labor secretary Marianito Roque signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with representatives of manning agencies' associations and seamen's unions for the Maritime Industry Labor Arbitration Council (MILA).

"The move came at the heel of a growing consensus among maritime industry stakeholders on the need to pursue a dedicated effort to advocate the use of VA as a mode of settling labor disputes in the maritime sector," said a statement posted on the labor department website Saturday.

Former labor secretary Arturo Brion also signed the MOA as witness at the Associated Marine Officers and Seamen's Union (AMOSUP) Tuesday in Intramuros, Manila.

Roque said the MILA, an initiative of Brion, provides for the development of a VA system.

He said that all the parties also consider the need to develop expertise in maritime usages and practices in the VA system to give force to arbitration clauses in the collective bargaining agreements entered into by various seafarer's unions and standard contracts of Filipino seafarers.

He also said that stakeholders agreed that MILA be made a tripartite body consisting of Executive Director of the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) as Ex-officio Chair and one member each from the manning and seafarer sectors.

Council members will have a term of three years from the date of their designation. NCMB will serve as the council's secretariat in the interim.

Aside from promoting VA in the maritime industry, the council and the secretariat will formulate policies, programs, standards, qualifications, and manuals of procedures pertaining to MILA operations.

They will also screen, accredit, admit, and train voluntary arbitrators.

Initially, however, the social partners will each submit a list of five nominees to the pool of maritime industry labor arbitrators, Roque said.

Signatories of the MOA from the manning agencies included Rodolfo Estampador of the Conference of Maritime Manning Association, Sammuel Lim of the Filipino Association for Mariners Employment, Jose Albar Kato of the International Maritime Association of the Philippines, Eduardo Manese of the Philippine-Japan Manning Consultative Council, Vicente Miranda of the Philippine Association of Manning Agencies and Ship Managers, Inc., Roy Alampay of the Filipino Ship Owners Association and Felicito Dalaguete of the Philippine Association of Maritime Institution.

Those from the seamen's unions were Gregorio Oca of the Associated Marine Officers Seamen's Union of the Philippines, Romeo Occena of the International Seamen's Mutual Labor Association, Manuel Collado of the Mariners and Allied Transport Employees Union, German Pascua Jr of the Philippine Seamen's Union and Nelson Ramirez of the United Filipino Seafarers.

Leoncio Sempio of the Marine Engine Officers Association of the Philippines and Jaime Aquino of the Philippine Maritime Voluntary Arbitrators Association also signed the MOA. - GMANews.TV

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