Quezon City – The National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) collaborated with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the National Electrification Administration (NEA) in equipping labor and management representatives of electric cooperatives (ECs) with knowledge and skills on collective bargaining agreement negotiations and implementation held from July 14 to 15, 2025, at the Luxent Hotel, Quezon City.

The conduct of the capability-building is a key component of the Memorandum of Agreement between the DOLE and NEA, signed in August 2024, which focuses on the promotion of free and responsible exercise of freedom of association and collective bargaining between the electric cooperatives and their employees, while taking into account the sustainability and viability of the ECs. This training is the second undertaking in a series of planned capability-building activities, after the successful conduct of a similar training in September 2024.

Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, in a message delivered by Assistant Secretary Lennard Constantine Serrano, hoped that the activity would serve as an avenue for an “interactive, meaningful, and productive exchange of insights, best practices, and mutually beneficial results among the participants.” This is geared towards upholding the rights of employees to organize and bargain collectively and promoting harmonious relations within the electric cooperatives. 

This year’s first run of the training gathered 79 participants from 10 ECs in Regions III, V, and VIII, with representatives from both labor and management. This initiative underscores the shared commitment of stakeholders to safeguard workers’ welfare, enhance benefits, and ensure the long-term viability of the cooperatives.

The ECs participated in workshops designed to share best practices as well as challenges and difficulties in CBA negotiation and implementation. The workshop also explored ways and strategies to address these challenges and problems. The culminating workshop engaged participants in action planning to make their future negotiations easier and faster. These sessions provided participants with practical guidance that they could apply in future negotiations and a more effective implementation of their benefits.

Key lectures during the course included NEA Policies and Guidelines Affecting CBA Negotiation and Implementation presented by NEA Department Manager Alexander Paul Rivera; The Right to Self-Organization and Collective Bargaining in Electric Cooperatives: Law and Practice delivered by Undersecretary Benedicto Ernesto Bitonio, Jr.; and Techniques and Essential Steps in CBA Negotiation discussed by RCMB II Director Feliciano Orihuela, Jr. and Conciliation and Mediation Division Chief Ericson Igual.

These learning sessions strengthened the importance of proactive labor-management dialogue and highlighted the government’s continuing support for empowering union and management of ECs through knowledge sharing and enhancement of negotiation skills

END/emmaquino