A tripartite council has called on the government to include the clothing and textile industry in its jobs recovery strategy and to update the sector’s roadmap in view of the changes in the labor landscape due to the pandemic.
The Clothing and Textile Industry Tripartite Council (CTITC) in a resolution called for a joint action to mitigate the impact of the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the garment and textile industry.
The pandemic is estimated to have displaced 30,000 to 50,000 workers in 2021 out of its 390,000-strong total labor force.
CTITC said despite the hastening of vaccination of essential workers and the economy registering a 7.1 percent growth in the third quarter of 2021, safe reopening of the economy and employment recovery remain a challenge as the pandemic continues.
The group identified seven strategies in assisting the sector.
One is to continue the income support to workers most affected by the pandemic through temporary unemployment programs and cash aids;
Two is for the government to continue assisting businesses by facilitating their access to loans and tax relief packages.
CTITC said the government should provide retraining, reskilling and retooling programs to workers displaced or otherwise affected by the pandemic so they may be able to reenter the job market.
The group also bats for continuous social dialogue between and among representatives of the government, labor, and employer sectors to outline further action plans to reinvigorate the textile-garment industry.
CTITC reiterated its call for the government to support companies that repurposed towards producing medical-grade personal protective equipment (PPEs) by prioritizing their products in its procurement policy.
Along with this are the last two strategies laid out by CTITC: for locally-made medical-grade PPEs to be part of a strategic 10-year plan to include stockpiling program and eventually stop the importation of substandard medical-grade PPEs.
The group cited Executive Order No. 140, Series of 2021, adopting the National Employment Recovery Strategy , 2021-2022 to restore or create 1.24 million jobs of the updated Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 employment target of 2.4 million to 2.8 million for 2021 and 1.0 million for 2022.
The council was formed in 2005 as an advisory and consultative body on policies and programs affecting the industry. – Irma Isip
