Gov’t fails to solve 'widespread abuse' of OFWs in Jordan, group says
MANILA, Philippines - With the partial lifting of the deployment ban in Jordan, Migrante-Middle East, an alliance of overseas Filipino workers' (OFWs) organizations based in the region said it is imperative for the Arroyo administration to ensure the protection and welfare of Filipino household workers (HSWs) in Jordan and in other Middle Eastern countries.
In a statement, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) said that HSW who are returning to work with the same employer in Jordan will be exempted from the previous ban provided that ``the salary of the returning HSWs shall in no way be lower than the prescribed monthly pay for Filipino household service workers of US$400."
Labor Secretary Marianito Roque has recently issued Department Order No. 93-08 series of 2008 that grants partial exemption to returning HSWs in Jordan.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO)-Jordan were told to disseminate the information and to monitor the terms and conditions of employment of the returning HSWs to the same employers.
The labor department has set a monthly salary cap of US$400 to HSWs to ensure that only legitimate and capable employers can avail of the services of Filipino HSWs.
But for John Leonard Monterona, Migrante Middle East regional coordinator, the DoLE Order No. 93-08, Series of 2008 is easier said than done in the absence of a labor rights' pact with the host government.
"Our concern is how would DoLE ensure that employers will respect and honor the provisions of the employment contract including the US$400 minimum wage, eight-hour work and right to a day-off once a week, among other rights of HSWs," Monterona said.
No bilateral agreement
For Monterona, a labor rights agreement between the Philippines and Jordan is a step forward in advancing OFWs' rights and welfare.
"A labor rights pact should make foreign employers accountable to their hired HSWs," he said.
In the Department of Foreign Affairs' (DFA) January to June 2007 report to Congress, the Philippine Embassy in Amman stated that it "will make representations with relevant Jordanian authorities to review the bilateral labor agreement between Jordan and the Philippines (which was signed by then Labor Secretary Franklin Drilon in 1988 on behalf of the Philippines).
The inclusion of provisions to address the condition of domestic workers will be a priority, it said.
But instead of the "reactivation" of the bilateral agreement, the Embassy reported that Labor Ministry Secretary General Majed Habashneh told Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs (OUMWA) Executive Director Cresente Relacion in his July 18, 2007 visit that Jordan is more interested in signing a new "Memorandum of Understanding" to reflect the huge changes in the labor situation in Jordan vis-à-vis the Philippines. Habashneh said Jordan would provide a draft MOU for the Philippines' review and consideration.
Moreover, Jordan has not been a signatory to the 1990 United Nations International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and Members of their families.
The migrants groups said that Jordan hesitates to sign the said convention due to the presence of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers and refugees within its own borders.
In 2007, it is estimated that there are more or less 700,000 Egyptian migrant workers in Jordan, and 60,000 foreign domestic workers. It likewise hosts 1.6 million Palestinian refugees and more than 500,000 Iraqi refugees who started arriving after the US-led occupation of Iraq.
OFW working conditions
The ban was imposed in January 2008 due to reports of widespread abuse to Filipino workers.
According to the DFA report, "The working conditions of more than half of domestic helpers comprising 95 percent of OFWs in Jordan, can be considered unsatisfactory and problematic and need improvement.
The Philippine Embassy in Amman reported that maltreatment continues to be the number one complaint of OFWs, which includes having insufficient food, working for more than one household, and being overworked, with many working for more than 12 hours per day.
The Embassy also revealed that most employers do not allow their domestic worker to have a "day-off" as stipulated in the employment contract. Many are subjected to physical, verbal, and sexual harassment while some are raped.
Contract substitution also hounded OFWs, the report said. They are made to sign another contract upon arrival, reducing their monthly salary to only US$150, instead of the POEA-prescribed US$200. There were also several cases of delayed or non-payment of salaries.
“Because of the difficult work conditions faced by our workers, some of them become ill or develop health or mental problems," the report stated.
Monterona said that despite these reports of abuse, the DoLE partially lifted the ban with no measures being instituted to uplift the conditions of OFWs in Jordan.
Additional burden
Moreover, Monterona said that DoLE Order No. 93-08, Series of 2008 issued by Roque is mum on the excessive fees and charges being collected by local recruitment agencies to aspiring HSWs.
He said that an aspiring HSW under the "Supermaid" guidelines would have to undergo a new training scheme that adds an unnecessary burden to the applicant. This scheme, which does not address the real issues and problems of Filipino domestic helpers, is "only a scheme to generate more revenues from HSWs," he said.
The migrant leader said that though applicants are exempted from paying placement fees based on the Guidelines on Household Service Workers implemented by the POEA, aspiring HSWs bound for UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Saudi Arabia have reported that they were forced to shell out P5,000 to P10,000 ($113 to $226) to undergo training.
Monterona also said that the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority's (TESDA) accredited training centers secretly operating as recruitment agents for aspiring HSWs are asking applicant-trainees fees up to P45,000 ($1,017) with the promise of a passing grade in the skills assessment. - Bulatlat
In a statement, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) said that HSW who are returning to work with the same employer in Jordan will be exempted from the previous ban provided that ``the salary of the returning HSWs shall in no way be lower than the prescribed monthly pay for Filipino household service workers of US$400."
Labor Secretary Marianito Roque has recently issued Department Order No. 93-08 series of 2008 that grants partial exemption to returning HSWs in Jordan.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO)-Jordan were told to disseminate the information and to monitor the terms and conditions of employment of the returning HSWs to the same employers.
The labor department has set a monthly salary cap of US$400 to HSWs to ensure that only legitimate and capable employers can avail of the services of Filipino HSWs.
But for John Leonard Monterona, Migrante Middle East regional coordinator, the DoLE Order No. 93-08, Series of 2008 is easier said than done in the absence of a labor rights' pact with the host government.
"Our concern is how would DoLE ensure that employers will respect and honor the provisions of the employment contract including the US$400 minimum wage, eight-hour work and right to a day-off once a week, among other rights of HSWs," Monterona said.
No bilateral agreement
For Monterona, a labor rights agreement between the Philippines and Jordan is a step forward in advancing OFWs' rights and welfare.
"A labor rights pact should make foreign employers accountable to their hired HSWs," he said.
In the Department of Foreign Affairs' (DFA) January to June 2007 report to Congress, the Philippine Embassy in Amman stated that it "will make representations with relevant Jordanian authorities to review the bilateral labor agreement between Jordan and the Philippines (which was signed by then Labor Secretary Franklin Drilon in 1988 on behalf of the Philippines).
The inclusion of provisions to address the condition of domestic workers will be a priority, it said.
But instead of the "reactivation" of the bilateral agreement, the Embassy reported that Labor Ministry Secretary General Majed Habashneh told Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs (OUMWA) Executive Director Cresente Relacion in his July 18, 2007 visit that Jordan is more interested in signing a new "Memorandum of Understanding" to reflect the huge changes in the labor situation in Jordan vis-à-vis the Philippines. Habashneh said Jordan would provide a draft MOU for the Philippines' review and consideration.
Moreover, Jordan has not been a signatory to the 1990 United Nations International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and Members of their families.
The migrants groups said that Jordan hesitates to sign the said convention due to the presence of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers and refugees within its own borders.
In 2007, it is estimated that there are more or less 700,000 Egyptian migrant workers in Jordan, and 60,000 foreign domestic workers. It likewise hosts 1.6 million Palestinian refugees and more than 500,000 Iraqi refugees who started arriving after the US-led occupation of Iraq.
OFW working conditions
The ban was imposed in January 2008 due to reports of widespread abuse to Filipino workers.
According to the DFA report, "The working conditions of more than half of domestic helpers comprising 95 percent of OFWs in Jordan, can be considered unsatisfactory and problematic and need improvement.
The Philippine Embassy in Amman reported that maltreatment continues to be the number one complaint of OFWs, which includes having insufficient food, working for more than one household, and being overworked, with many working for more than 12 hours per day.
The Embassy also revealed that most employers do not allow their domestic worker to have a "day-off" as stipulated in the employment contract. Many are subjected to physical, verbal, and sexual harassment while some are raped.
Contract substitution also hounded OFWs, the report said. They are made to sign another contract upon arrival, reducing their monthly salary to only US$150, instead of the POEA-prescribed US$200. There were also several cases of delayed or non-payment of salaries.
“Because of the difficult work conditions faced by our workers, some of them become ill or develop health or mental problems," the report stated.
Monterona said that despite these reports of abuse, the DoLE partially lifted the ban with no measures being instituted to uplift the conditions of OFWs in Jordan.
Additional burden
Moreover, Monterona said that DoLE Order No. 93-08, Series of 2008 issued by Roque is mum on the excessive fees and charges being collected by local recruitment agencies to aspiring HSWs.
He said that an aspiring HSW under the "Supermaid" guidelines would have to undergo a new training scheme that adds an unnecessary burden to the applicant. This scheme, which does not address the real issues and problems of Filipino domestic helpers, is "only a scheme to generate more revenues from HSWs," he said.
The migrant leader said that though applicants are exempted from paying placement fees based on the Guidelines on Household Service Workers implemented by the POEA, aspiring HSWs bound for UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Saudi Arabia have reported that they were forced to shell out P5,000 to P10,000 ($113 to $226) to undergo training.
Monterona also said that the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority's (TESDA) accredited training centers secretly operating as recruitment agents for aspiring HSWs are asking applicant-trainees fees up to P45,000 ($1,017) with the promise of a passing grade in the skills assessment. - Bulatlat
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