Labour Minister Responds to PSU Trade Dispute

Minister of Labour, Florencio Marin Junior, is in Switzerland tonight, but it did not deter him from responding to the Public Service Union (PSU).  In a letter dated yesterday, June 12, Minister Marin acknowledged receipt of the declaration of a trade dispute by the PSU, and indicated that he would provide a more substantive response in due course.  The June 10 letter, essentially, told the Labour Minister that the PSU is invoking Section 11 of the Settlement of Disputes in Essential Services Act.  Additionally, a request was made for the Heads of Departments to grant time- off with full pay for union activities, where feasible.  Minister Marin is currently in Geneva, Switzerland where he led a delegation for the 113^th International Labour Conference (ILC) which concluded today.  Love News understands that the discussions at the 10-day event ranged from decent work in the platform economy to innovative approaches to tackling informality and promoting formal work.  Both topics looked at addressing labor conditions in the digital platform economy as well as strategies for transitioning from informal to formal employment sectors.