The maximum penalty for contract-substitution is the revocation of the agency’s business license for overseas recruitment (photo: Wikipedia) MANILA, Philippines - Filipino domestic workers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are warned not to cover up for any sponsor who may have committed contract substitution.
The Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi released this warning after discovering the modus operandi where sponsors have separate arrangements with Filipino domestic helpers through their Manila-based manpower agency.
According to a report from online news site Khaleej Times reported Wednesday that overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are made to sign a labor contract with the government-approved $400 monthly salary but are secretly offered a lower salary.
Labor Attache Nasser Munder told the Khaleej Times that Filipino workers must immediately report such incidents to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to sanction the manpower agency involved.
The maximum penalty for contract-substitution is the revocation of the agency’s business license for overseas recruitment.
UAE’s Ministry of Labour (MoL) earlier warned OFWs that job contracts signed outside the emirate would not be recognized by the government there.
The Ministry also warned foreign workers that companies in the UAE are not allowed to have their employers work overtime for more than two hours a day.
Any excess period for which the employee works shall be treated as overtime and would mean that the worker would be entitled to the wage stipulated for his/her normal working hours, plus an additional 25 percent of his/her wage.
Based on the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency's data, there are more than 81,000 Filipinos working in the UAE in 2005. - Mark Joseph Ubalde, GMANews.tv
1 comment:
I think this is yet another instance of how the OFWs are treated in countries like UAE and Lebanon where their interests are put on hold for the benefit of the recruitment agencies which mislead these OFWs and the recruiters who pay little attention to the problem. Most of the OFWs after signing these contracts fall under the trap and find no way out. On http://onlineremit.blogspot.com/ I have encountered quite a few OFWs in UAE who are complaining of harassment and torture. The government should not sit idle and take immediate steps.
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