Sentosa probed by US body over labor abuse

MANILA, Philippines - A recruitment agency earlier accused of illegally hiring Filipino nurses for the US is being investigated by the federal National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), an independent agency created by the US Congress.

According to the nurses' counsel, Filipino-American lawyer Salvador Tuy, the NLRB is looking into allegations that the Sentosa Recruitment Group has violated the federal labor code due to its failure to provide overtime pay to the nurses.

Tuy said Sentosa is also being investigated for allegedly practicing "predatory recruitment," which prevented the nurses from joining labor unions.

"There is also a serious issue raised about involuntary servitude, yes slavery. If the nurses could be criminally charged for quitting their jobs under the guise of patient endangerment, then there is a violation of the constitutional prohibition against slavery," he said.

The NLRB is tasked to implement the National Labor Relations Act, the primary law in the US governing relations between unions and employers in the private sector.

The NLRB Web site says "the statute guarantees the right of employees to organize and to bargain collectively with their employers, and to engage in other protected concerted activity with or without a union, or to refrain from all such activity." - Fidel Jimenez, GMANews.TV

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

POPCOM, gagamit ng ‘digital platforms’ para pagtibayin ang mga ugnayang pampamilya

Biden said set to make push for demilitarized Palestinian state as part of new doctrine ---By LAZAR BERMAN

In Cairo, senior Hamas officials discuss hostage deal with Egyptian intelligence chief ---By TOI STAFF, AGENCIES and LAZAR BERMAN