Funds to help build the capacity of labor inspectorates in Peru and the Philippines announced by US Labor Department

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced two grants to help strengthen workers' rights in Peru and the Philippines through technical assistance projects to build capacity at the labor inspectorates in those countries.

In Peru, the department awarded $2,000,000 to help build the labor law enforcement capacity of the Peruvian Ministry of Labor and Employment Promotion's newly-formed National Superintendency of Labor Inspection. In the Philippines, a grant of $1,000,000 is intended to help improve the effectiveness of labor inspections, particularly in the area of occupational safety and health, and labor rights monitoring by workers, employers, and their representatives.

"Labor inspections as a means of enforcing existing labor laws are essential to raising standards for workers around the world," said Deputy Undersecretary for International Labor Affairs Carol Pier. "These projects will build on existing efforts within Peru and the Philippines to help those countries better enforce their labor laws and protect workers' rights."

In Peru, the funds awarded to Capital Humano y Social Alternativo will help the MTPE centralize its labor law inspection and enforcement system and enhance labor law enforcement at the national and regional levels. The project will focus particularly on improving the MTPE's enforcement of laws, regulations, and other legal instruments governing subcontracting, outsourcing and the use of short-term employment contracts, especially in the country's nontraditional export sectors (e.g., mining, agriculture, fishing, and textiles).

The Philippines has taken a number of steps to increase staff and enhance technology in the labor inspectorate. To assist in these efforts, the grant awarded to the International Labour Organization will help improve labor law compliance and labor rights monitoring.

Since 1995, ILAB has worked with other governments and international organizations to identify assistance that countries may require to improve the labor conditions of their workers. ILAB's Office of Trade and Labor Affairs currently provides approximately $76 million in technical assistance to improve worker rights, livelihoods and labor law compliance in more than 72 countries around the world.

For more information about ILAB's technical assistance projects, visit www.dol.gov/ilab/.