‘Unified contract’ scheme a form of slavery - Pasei
MANILA, Philippines - Overseas Filipino workers and Philippine manpower agencies alike would be hit hard once the “unified contract" scheme being pushed by the Saudi National Recruitment Committee (Sanarcom) is allowed to take effect, the biggest association of recruitment agencies in the country has warned.
The Philippine Association of Service Exporters, Inc. (Pasei) said the scheme, formally called Recruitment and Manpower Deployment Contract, is a form of “modern day slavery."
“This unilateral imposition of the Sanarcom will result in an ‘involuntary servitude, leaving Sanarcom rich and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) exploited," said PASEI President Victor E. Fernandez Jr. told GMANews.TV.
If the members of Congress, other government agencies and non-government organizations really care about workers’ rights, he said, they should join the campaign against the scheme.
Under the scheme, Philippine recruitment agencies will no longer be able to deal directly with employers in Saudi Arabia; they will have to pass through a Saudi recruitment agency that is a member of Sanarcom.
Sanarcom will serve as third party that will facilitate the processing of visas of OFWs, thereby barring Philippine agencies to directly process the visas for their recruits.
Attempts to implement the scheme in 2003 and 2006 were deferred due to opposition not only from the Philippines but from other Asian countries exporting labor to Saudi Arabia, including Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
On July 18, 2008, the Saudi Embassy in Manila issued a memorandum notifying local recruitment agencies that it will no longer entertainment request for visa processing unless these agencies deal with Saudi recruitment agencies.
But a letter to Pasei by Abdulrahman Saad Al-Kanhal, assistant secretary-general for consular affairs of the Council of Saudi Chamber, said the scheme was to take effect on September 1, 2008.
Fernandez said the embassy’s date was apparently wrong since the embassy continued to accept visa applications in the past days.
Fernandez stressed that it was not the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia at fault. He said that Sanarcom “wiggled" through the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry and allegedly had the contract approved by the minister of interior.
A copy of the unified contract obtained by GMANews.TV says in its preamble that the contract between Philippine and Arabian recruitment agencies shall be inked in order to serve the business owners in Saudi Arabia.
But Lito Soriano, an agency owner deploying workers to Saudi Arabia, and Ezekiel Alunen, former member of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) governing board, said the scheme only adds another layer into the recruitment process which will only add to the recruitment cost of the local agency or the Saudi employer.
One of the clauses in the contract that Fernandez questioned was the one that said a worker shall “not reject the work or run away with no justified reason."
“Would an abused OFW justify first why he would run away from his employer? Of course he would run away first," he asked.
The clause that says “both parties (the manpower and recruitment agency) agree not to resort to services of any mediators or any unlicensed parties" is part of Sanarcom’s sheme to earn more money, said Fernandez.
He has formally requested the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to cancel the licenses of the Philippine recruitment agencies who would sign the contract.
He has also sent letters to the Department of Foreign Affairs and the House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs regarding the matter.
House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs secretary Christopher S. Lomibao told Fernandez during the technical working group meeting on Tuesday that the committee would study Fernandez’ concern.
However, Lomibao said that the only thing that the committee can do is act on a resolution so Fernandez would have to find lawmakers who would make a resolution about the anomalous contract.
Fernandez said that he will soon be going to the Middle East to straighten out the implications of the contract.GMANews.TV
The Philippine Association of Service Exporters, Inc. (Pasei) said the scheme, formally called Recruitment and Manpower Deployment Contract, is a form of “modern day slavery."
“This unilateral imposition of the Sanarcom will result in an ‘involuntary servitude, leaving Sanarcom rich and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) exploited," said PASEI President Victor E. Fernandez Jr. told GMANews.TV.
If the members of Congress, other government agencies and non-government organizations really care about workers’ rights, he said, they should join the campaign against the scheme.
Under the scheme, Philippine recruitment agencies will no longer be able to deal directly with employers in Saudi Arabia; they will have to pass through a Saudi recruitment agency that is a member of Sanarcom.
Sanarcom will serve as third party that will facilitate the processing of visas of OFWs, thereby barring Philippine agencies to directly process the visas for their recruits.
Attempts to implement the scheme in 2003 and 2006 were deferred due to opposition not only from the Philippines but from other Asian countries exporting labor to Saudi Arabia, including Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
On July 18, 2008, the Saudi Embassy in Manila issued a memorandum notifying local recruitment agencies that it will no longer entertainment request for visa processing unless these agencies deal with Saudi recruitment agencies.
But a letter to Pasei by Abdulrahman Saad Al-Kanhal, assistant secretary-general for consular affairs of the Council of Saudi Chamber, said the scheme was to take effect on September 1, 2008.
Fernandez said the embassy’s date was apparently wrong since the embassy continued to accept visa applications in the past days.
Fernandez stressed that it was not the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia at fault. He said that Sanarcom “wiggled" through the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry and allegedly had the contract approved by the minister of interior.
A copy of the unified contract obtained by GMANews.TV says in its preamble that the contract between Philippine and Arabian recruitment agencies shall be inked in order to serve the business owners in Saudi Arabia.
But Lito Soriano, an agency owner deploying workers to Saudi Arabia, and Ezekiel Alunen, former member of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) governing board, said the scheme only adds another layer into the recruitment process which will only add to the recruitment cost of the local agency or the Saudi employer.
One of the clauses in the contract that Fernandez questioned was the one that said a worker shall “not reject the work or run away with no justified reason."
“Would an abused OFW justify first why he would run away from his employer? Of course he would run away first," he asked.
The clause that says “both parties (the manpower and recruitment agency) agree not to resort to services of any mediators or any unlicensed parties" is part of Sanarcom’s sheme to earn more money, said Fernandez.
He has formally requested the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to cancel the licenses of the Philippine recruitment agencies who would sign the contract.
He has also sent letters to the Department of Foreign Affairs and the House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs regarding the matter.
House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs secretary Christopher S. Lomibao told Fernandez during the technical working group meeting on Tuesday that the committee would study Fernandez’ concern.
However, Lomibao said that the only thing that the committee can do is act on a resolution so Fernandez would have to find lawmakers who would make a resolution about the anomalous contract.
Fernandez said that he will soon be going to the Middle East to straighten out the implications of the contract.GMANews.TV
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