Foreign missions, strengthened ties
Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito Roque said that the government is doing everything it can to resolve the problem in the overseas employment sector. The government has been conducting foreign missions and strengthening its relationship with employers in the Middle East “because the main area of absorption would still be the Middle East.”
Displaced workers may opt to remain in the country supported by livelihood projects from the government or have the government find them work here or abroad.
The DOLE chief assured that there are new markets opening up for Filipino workers like in Bulgaria, Southern Australia and Canada.
In a radio interview, Roque announced that the state of Qatar has reserved 121,924 new working visas for Filipino workers for next year. Roque said the Qatar labor minister showed him the reserved visas during President Arroyo's visit last December 14.
‘Crisis on all streets’
Last October, ILO Director-General Juan Somavia urged for “prompt and coordinated government actions to avert a social crisis that could be severe, long-lasting and global”. The ILO said sectors that could be badly affected by the crisis are construction, automotive, tourism, finance, services and real estate.
“This is not simply a crisis on Wall Street, this is a crisis on all streets. We need an economic rescue plan for working families and the real economy, with rules and policies that deliver decent jobs. We must link better productivity to salaries and growth to employment”, the ILO director general said.
Conflicting figures
In the Philippines, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) estimates that around 50,000 to 70,000 Filipino overseas workers may be affected by the crisis, but migrant advocates and organizations believe there could be more as droves of OFWs arrive at the airport jobless.
Most of those who have been laid off were working for construction companies, and processing centers in Taiwan.
In a recent event to mark the International Migrants Day, Fr. Savino Bernardi, director of the Apostleship of the Sea (AOS) reiterated what many migrant advocates and organizations have been asking: what the government is doing to address the problem.
Fr. Bernardi said that of the latest count gathered by non-government organizations in Taiwan, there are now 2,054 Filipino workers mostly from the processing sector who have been laid off. Worse, Fr. Bernardi said most of them were forced to sign a document allegedly stating their voluntary resignation from work.
“If they have debts for the placement fee here in the Philippines, of course they come back more in debt than when they left,” Fr. Bernardi said.
He said more Filipinos could lose their jobs this year if the financial crisis persists.
“If the financial market in the world continues this way, not only the contractual workers in Taiwan, Singapore or Hong Kong would be affected. Probably there would be some recession also for migrants in more developed countries like Europe, Australia and possibly America,” he said.
For Charles Harns of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the global downturn is bound to affect many categories of people including migrant workers.
“The biggest issue is whether migrants are unfairly or disproportionately affected. Thus far it’s too early to say whether that is going to be the case but we would like to be sure that it isn’t, and we will do everything we can to make sure it isn’t the case,” Harns said.
Harns said that one of the greatest problems to look out for is whether or not the economic downturn has turned into a reason to be anti-migrant or anti-migration.
“We haven’t seen that yet develop in a big way and we hope it doesn’t develop. We would like to make sure that whatever states and governments do in this regard is not an overreaction against migrants per se,” he said.
The IOM recently issued a report urging countries not to close its doors to migrants. The IOM said that ageing population and falling birth rates would result to labor shortages in most developed countries. It also encouraged these countries to recognize the many contributions of migrant workers to the economy of the host nation.
More undocumented workers seen
Migrant organizations and trade unions expect an increase in the number of undocumented workers because of the crisis since most displaced OFWs would opt to look for other employment rather than return to the Philippines.
“That’s the consensus of the labor sector. In South Korea, for example, we’re still interested in sending workers there because of their needs. But South Korea is one of the worst destination countries especially for undocumented workers. They do massive crackdowns and deportation,” said Jillian Roque, national coordinator of the Public Services Labor Independent Confederation.
Sharan Burrow, president of the International Trade Union Confederation said there is a possibility that migrant workers will be forced to work illegally in other countries.
"There is no question that people take up other jobs in other countries for a number of reasons. In a global financial crisis, if jobs are threatened, if regular channels of migration are constrained, then clearly, that will see an increase in people desperate to make an income working without documentation in many nations," said Burrow.
OFW resiliency
Jeremaiah Opiniano, executive director of the Institute for Migration and Development Issues, said the crisis is the big issue of the day.
“The issue today is the crisis and how to deal with it. For the family left behind, how will they respond to the crisis? They may just keep on spending. For the government, are they ready for all this? Is our safety net for the crisis further migration? Is that sustainable?” asked Opiniano.
Opiniano, who has done several studies relating to migration and OFWs, said: “Safety net means new jobs, new sources of income. The Philippines is still lucky, our remittances are still high, from September to October 2008. I think the Filipinos would try to find a way to send more money whatever happens.”
He echoed what Harns said that migration is here to stay and is a fact of life. “What I think many would like to see is how we can try to establish more hope here in the country, that there is visible change so that people will think less of going abroad as the only recourse left for them.”
Displaced workers may opt to remain in the country supported by livelihood projects from the government or have the government find them work here or abroad.
The DOLE chief assured that there are new markets opening up for Filipino workers like in Bulgaria, Southern Australia and Canada.
In a radio interview, Roque announced that the state of Qatar has reserved 121,924 new working visas for Filipino workers for next year. Roque said the Qatar labor minister showed him the reserved visas during President Arroyo's visit last December 14.
‘Crisis on all streets’
Last October, ILO Director-General Juan Somavia urged for “prompt and coordinated government actions to avert a social crisis that could be severe, long-lasting and global”. The ILO said sectors that could be badly affected by the crisis are construction, automotive, tourism, finance, services and real estate.
“This is not simply a crisis on Wall Street, this is a crisis on all streets. We need an economic rescue plan for working families and the real economy, with rules and policies that deliver decent jobs. We must link better productivity to salaries and growth to employment”, the ILO director general said.
Conflicting figures
In the Philippines, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) estimates that around 50,000 to 70,000 Filipino overseas workers may be affected by the crisis, but migrant advocates and organizations believe there could be more as droves of OFWs arrive at the airport jobless.
Most of those who have been laid off were working for construction companies, and processing centers in Taiwan.
In a recent event to mark the International Migrants Day, Fr. Savino Bernardi, director of the Apostleship of the Sea (AOS) reiterated what many migrant advocates and organizations have been asking: what the government is doing to address the problem.
Fr. Bernardi said that of the latest count gathered by non-government organizations in Taiwan, there are now 2,054 Filipino workers mostly from the processing sector who have been laid off. Worse, Fr. Bernardi said most of them were forced to sign a document allegedly stating their voluntary resignation from work.
“If they have debts for the placement fee here in the Philippines, of course they come back more in debt than when they left,” Fr. Bernardi said.
He said more Filipinos could lose their jobs this year if the financial crisis persists.
“If the financial market in the world continues this way, not only the contractual workers in Taiwan, Singapore or Hong Kong would be affected. Probably there would be some recession also for migrants in more developed countries like Europe, Australia and possibly America,” he said.
For Charles Harns of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the global downturn is bound to affect many categories of people including migrant workers.
“The biggest issue is whether migrants are unfairly or disproportionately affected. Thus far it’s too early to say whether that is going to be the case but we would like to be sure that it isn’t, and we will do everything we can to make sure it isn’t the case,” Harns said.
Harns said that one of the greatest problems to look out for is whether or not the economic downturn has turned into a reason to be anti-migrant or anti-migration.
“We haven’t seen that yet develop in a big way and we hope it doesn’t develop. We would like to make sure that whatever states and governments do in this regard is not an overreaction against migrants per se,” he said.
The IOM recently issued a report urging countries not to close its doors to migrants. The IOM said that ageing population and falling birth rates would result to labor shortages in most developed countries. It also encouraged these countries to recognize the many contributions of migrant workers to the economy of the host nation.
More undocumented workers seen
Migrant organizations and trade unions expect an increase in the number of undocumented workers because of the crisis since most displaced OFWs would opt to look for other employment rather than return to the Philippines.
“That’s the consensus of the labor sector. In South Korea, for example, we’re still interested in sending workers there because of their needs. But South Korea is one of the worst destination countries especially for undocumented workers. They do massive crackdowns and deportation,” said Jillian Roque, national coordinator of the Public Services Labor Independent Confederation.
Sharan Burrow, president of the International Trade Union Confederation said there is a possibility that migrant workers will be forced to work illegally in other countries.
"There is no question that people take up other jobs in other countries for a number of reasons. In a global financial crisis, if jobs are threatened, if regular channels of migration are constrained, then clearly, that will see an increase in people desperate to make an income working without documentation in many nations," said Burrow.
OFW resiliency
Jeremaiah Opiniano, executive director of the Institute for Migration and Development Issues, said the crisis is the big issue of the day.
“The issue today is the crisis and how to deal with it. For the family left behind, how will they respond to the crisis? They may just keep on spending. For the government, are they ready for all this? Is our safety net for the crisis further migration? Is that sustainable?” asked Opiniano.
Opiniano, who has done several studies relating to migration and OFWs, said: “Safety net means new jobs, new sources of income. The Philippines is still lucky, our remittances are still high, from September to October 2008. I think the Filipinos would try to find a way to send more money whatever happens.”
He echoed what Harns said that migration is here to stay and is a fact of life. “What I think many would like to see is how we can try to establish more hope here in the country, that there is visible change so that people will think less of going abroad as the only recourse left for them.”
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