36
2016 ANNUAL REPORT
Sexual Harassment and
Breastfeeding Policies
Training courses on workplace and
sexual harassment were provided to
subordinate employees in 2016, in view
of the fact that (in 2015) employees
were required to adopt and comply with
new policies aimed at preventing and
penalizing sexual harassment in the
workplace. The object of the policy is
to avoid these types of circumstances,
to establish the proper methods
for reporting and addressing these
situations (if and when they present
themselves), and to foster and enable a
harmonious working environment.
In addition, a room in RECOPE’s main
headquarters was adapted to better
accommodate working mothers who are
returning from maternity leave, and that
require a suitable and comfortable space
to collect and store breast milk in the
workplace.
RECOPE thus fulfilled one of the
promises made by the Solis Rivera
Administration on the campaign trail,
“to review all the Collective Labor
Agreements of the public sector and
eliminate abusive privileges, all the
while respecting the pertinent labor
rights.” RECOPE disapproved of the
entire agreement and, in furtherance
of this directive and after intense
negotiations, amended 96 of the 161
articles that comprise the Collective
Labor Agreement, 17 of which were
completely eliminated.
The negotiation process was
characterized by mutual respect,
dialogue and impartiality, and led to
a detailed article-by-article review of
the entire agreement; resulting in an
outcome that is more in line with the
reality and situation of the country,
thereby ensuring greater management.
RECOPE signed its first Collective
Labor Agreement in 1969. Since then,
the agreement has been amended on
16 separate occasions and, in every
case, union benefits have either been
increased or expanded. As such, it is
worth noting that, for the first time in
history, a more conservative agreement
– in which the fundamental rights of
the employees were protected while
still taking into account the principle
of reasonable utilization of public
resources – was reached.
