Philippine govt may appeal OFWs’ plight
MANILA, Philippines - The government may heed an International Labor Organization (ILO) recommendation to ask countries hosting overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to first assess market needs before laying off migrant employees.
"At their end, we can’t stop employers from retrenching but we can appeal to the countries to help our workers," said Stella Z. Banawis, director of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration’s pre-employment service.
In an interview, Ms. Banawis said the Department of Labor and Employment has created a global financial crisis committee that will look into the impact of the economic meltdown on Filipino workers.
Around 1,000 documented Filipino workers from Taiwan have returned after being laid off. Many of the returning workers came from export-oriented countries like South Korea and Taiwan.
Labor Secretary Marianito D. Roque has said many retrenched Filipino workers chose to stay in their host country to look for other jobs rather than return to the Philippines.
The Labor department has crafted programs to help returning workers find jobs either in the country or abroad.
It also has retraining programs for those who want to expand their skills.
ILO Director-General Juan Somavia said in a statement, "While the full impact of the crisis on migrant workers is yet to unfold, there are reports of direct layoffs, worsening working conditions including wage cuts, increasing returns, and reductions in immigrant intakes.
"Yet all sectors may not be equally affected, and destination countries should assess their [labor] market needs before resorting to general layoffs of migrant workers."
ILO said migrant workers should not become scapegoats for the economic crisis.
The statement was issued for today’s celebration of International Migrant’s Day. — BusinessWorld
"At their end, we can’t stop employers from retrenching but we can appeal to the countries to help our workers," said Stella Z. Banawis, director of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration’s pre-employment service.
In an interview, Ms. Banawis said the Department of Labor and Employment has created a global financial crisis committee that will look into the impact of the economic meltdown on Filipino workers.
Around 1,000 documented Filipino workers from Taiwan have returned after being laid off. Many of the returning workers came from export-oriented countries like South Korea and Taiwan.
Labor Secretary Marianito D. Roque has said many retrenched Filipino workers chose to stay in their host country to look for other jobs rather than return to the Philippines.
The Labor department has crafted programs to help returning workers find jobs either in the country or abroad.
It also has retraining programs for those who want to expand their skills.
ILO Director-General Juan Somavia said in a statement, "While the full impact of the crisis on migrant workers is yet to unfold, there are reports of direct layoffs, worsening working conditions including wage cuts, increasing returns, and reductions in immigrant intakes.
"Yet all sectors may not be equally affected, and destination countries should assess their [labor] market needs before resorting to general layoffs of migrant workers."
ILO said migrant workers should not become scapegoats for the economic crisis.
The statement was issued for today’s celebration of International Migrant’s Day. — BusinessWorld
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