(DEC. 2)—The University of the Philippines (UP) School of Labor and Industrial Relations (SOLAIR) will virtually host the 10th ILERA Asian Regional Congress on Dec. 3 and 4, 9:00am to 5:30pm, comprising three plenary sessions and 15 concurrent sessions.
The 2-day online conference features more than 50 resource persons from Australia, Canada, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, USA, Vietnam, and the Philippines. These scholars can help navigate the portal of new possibilities in the future of work and employment relations by sharing what is known so far, and the landscape of emerging employment relations.
One congress topic is the COVID-19 pandemic and how it changed and continually changes global working conditions. The disruptions from the pandemic, much like the disruptions of the bubonic plague and the two world wars, forced people to break with the past and see their world in a different view, to evolve and adapt to the changing environment.
The pandemic made many employees to work from home (WFH), an option made available by many employers. The WFH arrangement, or teleworking, enables workers to fulfill work duties, without personal contact with colleagues. For some, teleworking was a common situation on a part-time or an occasional basis for years prior to the pandemic. However, working full-time in a home office poses a different challenge.
The congress will discuss trade unions in the region and the role of workers in negotiations agreement; emerging technologies and its effect on manual labor; mental health issues and programs to address them; skilled labor mobility and cross-border migrations; organizational culture and labor relations management; and job re-assignments and work redesign, among others.
The program could be viewed here: https://asiailera2020.org/program/program-day1/ and https://asiailera2020.org/program/program-day2/. Inquiries can also be directed to SOLAIR through (+632) 8920-7717 (Dean’s Office) or (+632) 8981-8500 local 4074/4075 (trunkline), or through the congress website, https://asiailera2020.org/.
ILERA (International Labour and Employment Relations Association) was established in 1967 with a general purpose of promoting worldwide the study of labor and employment relations in relevant academic disciplines. Its aim is purely scientific, “without regard to political, philosophic or religious considerations. The Association does not endorse opinions on policy questions.” It is currently located in the Research Department of the International Labour Office in Geneva, Switzerland.
The 10th ILERA Asian Regional Congress is organized by SOLAIR, with support from the ILERA Executive Committee, Department of Foreign Affairs International Commitment Funds (DFA ICF), UP Diliman Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (OICA), and the UP Office of International Linkages (UP OIL).