The LMC: Prospects and Retrospect

Abstract

In the Philippines, the widely preferred strategy to attain workplace cooperation is the LMC (Labor-Management Cooperation). This paper aims to enhance awareness and understanding of the LMC concept and its operational vehicle, the L-M Council (or Committee), by tracing its historical antecedents and gleaning its prospective directions. Documented case studies of two companies: the Ebara Benguet, Inc. and the Enchanted Kingdom, Inc., are presented to highlight their best practices in the utilization of a new LMC approach which was instrumental in turning around their work relationships into a more harmonious and productive partnership. Overall, this paper discusses the evolving role and diversified functions of the LMC in today's world of work, its potentials as a coping mechanism in the context of business viability and employment security, and in particular, as a cutting edge for social dialogue and more effective labor-management partnership for global competition.