What is APL?

The Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) is a “national labor center”. Consistent with its belief in social
movement unionism, APL has built itself as a “multi-form center”, drawing into its fold various forms of
labor organizations and not just trade unions. In the future, APL sees itself as a singular union structure
consolidated along industry and geographical lines.

APL was formally organized on November 1996 through a National Founding Congress.

It is committed to the advancement of Social movement unionism – a strategy directed at recognizing,

organizing and mobilizing all types of workers and unions for engagements in different arenas of struggle.
This strategy is not limited to “trade union” organizing and has been developed precisely to respond to
new work arrangements where employee-employer relationships do not exist or are not clear.

Social movement unionism, then, seeks to protect the rights of all workers, not just the wage-earners. It is
“social” because it does not deal only with economic rights and political rights that trade unions usually
deal with. Rather, social movement unionism seeks to address even the “social costs” of oppressive
economic and political systems. It recognizes the broadness of workers’ interests and the diversity and
complexity of work arrangements. As such, it is geared toward the struggle for workers’ rights in all
aspects — economic, political and socio-cultural — and at all levels — local, national, global. In short, the
strategic objective of social movement unionism is nothing less than social transformation.

What is Our Vision?

A just, self-managing and peaceful Philippines, where the working people is empowered, democratic
practices are upheld in the economic, political and cultural spheres of life, gender equality is recognized
and equitable distribution of sustainable development is guaranteed.

What is Our Mission?

To organize the working people into various forms of organizations. To merge these organizations along
industry, sectoral and geographic lines.