The International Labour Organization (ILO) accepted the proposed amendments of a senator to include migrant workers’ rights to have “access to relevant labor protection information” during the 111th annual conference in Geneva, Switzerland on Thursday.

The office of Senator Raffy Tulfo informed in a news release that the Draft Conclusions of the Committee on Labour Protection clinched the approval of employers and workers’ groups.

In defending his amendment before representatives of different countries, Tulfo cited his personal experience in his radio public service program wherein relatives of missing seafarers complained that ship owners and authorities of the country investigating the case would not share vital information with them.

Tulfo, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers and vice chairperson of the Committee on Labor, also opposed the proposed amendment by an employer’s group to remove limits on employees’ working hours.

He did not accept the group’s move to soften the policy on working hours and overtime by merely regulating it instead of providing clear limits and standards.

He cited the plight of overworked Filipino security guards who are often forced to be on duty for up to 20 consecutive hours without a day off, depriving them of a healthy work-life balance.

The 111th annual conference from June 5 to 16 attended by employer and government delegates from ILO’s 187 member states addresses a wide range of issues, including just transition towards sustainable and inclusive economies, quality apprenticeships, and labor protection.

On June 14 and 15, the “Social Justice for All” summit brought together heads of states and governments, ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo, and high-level representatives from the United Nations, other international organizations, and employers’ and workers’ organizations.

“My message is simple. No one should bury their head in the sand” when it comes to facing the challenges shaking up the world of work,” Houngbo said in his speech during the conference’s opening on June 5.

“Four billion of our fellow citizens have no social protection and 214 million workers earn less than the poverty line. A large number of job-creating micro and small enterprises have gone bankrupt. And how can we explain the fact that women earn on average 20 percent less than their male colleagues?” he said. (PNA)