FFW
launches FEEDS
Help for displaced workers is on the way. The FFW, true to its
vision of becoming a trade union-social movement has established
a service facility for displaced workers.
Dubbed
as the FFW Employment and Enterprise Development Services or FEEDS,
it will be launched on March 13 at the FFW-BATU Compound with
DOLE Sec. Pat Santo Tomas, Dr. Werner Blenk of ILO, and representatives
from employers groups as invited guests. Of course, the stars
of the event will be the displaced workers.
FEEDS
embodies the efforts of the FFW to respond to the increasing displacement
of workers. Among the services offered are
Consultation
and Linkage meetings were conducted with the Bishop and Businessmen
Conference – COLE and the Department of Labor and Employment
last May, June up to July on how to make the operation of the
Quick Response Team more effective and efficient in the midst
of worker displacements. Also discussed were Employment and Counselling
and Matching, and STET- C.
On
July 24, the PSI conducted a one-day coordination meeting with
PESO, QRT and Philjobnet.
A
MOA on Equivalency, Testing, Training and Certification Program
has been finalized that involves the Government, Industry, Labor,
NGO/Civil Society groups. The FFW is one of the labor groups involved
here.
The
program is now being fully operational. A Displaced Workers Committee
has been created from representatives of the various TFs and the
FWN. Likewise a Volunteers Task Group has been appointed (by the
President) and are now implementing the various services of the
Facility. It is now called as FEEDS. Among the Volunteers are
MR. Jun Rey of MAFEA, Tony Bernardino of Landtex, Don Vael and
Juliet Paras of Adamson, Rodel Jacobe of Goya, Bobby Gacutan of
Insular Life.
As
of now, we have around 100 persons in our data base and we are
already able to place seven displaced workers back to employment.
Entrepreneurs
Consultation
On
March 12-13, we will have the Entrepreneurs Organizing Consultation
at Hotel Kimberly to be participated in by 25 identified entrepreneurs.
The objective of the consultation is to organize the FFW Entrepreneurs
Guild.
The
Workplan, staff together with the point persons have formulated
a consultation module and identified some of the organizations
to be invited. Target participants are
Initially,
the displaced workers from the following Companies where there
is/was an FFW affiliated union: Warner Lambert, Ambassador Knitting
Corp., Landtex, Reynolds Philippines, National Steel Corporation,
Bayer Philippines, Interphil Laboratories, Adamson and Adamson.
