Blacklisting of Taiwanese broker, recruiter sought for abusing OFWs
MANILA, Philippines — Migrants group today urged the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) to blacklist Sage International, a Taiwanese broker for intimidating, exploiting and overcharging OFWs of Jia Chiarng Company. The employer and Philippine agency should likewise be banned for the same offenses.
The Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM) at the same time called on MECO not to accept the proposal of Taiwan's Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) of a new contract between brokers and migrant workers that would make the former the only legal and labor representatives of the latter among others. Many of these brokers are like Sage International and all of them represent the interests of employers and not the migrant workers.
APMM said four OFWs — Revilla de Jesus, Michelle Hernaez, Leticia Manalo and Evangeline Ayoc of Jia Chiarng Company — sought refuge at a shelter after they were threatened by the broker to have police arrest them for allegedly issuing a death threat to one of Sage's staff .
The four earlier filed a complaint against Jia Chiarng Company in the Legal Aid Foundation (LAF) for underpayment of their basic and overtime pay.
APMM said this was the latest attempt by the broker to force the workers to abandon their complaint against their employer for underpayment of their basic and overtime pay.
It urged MECO to provide the OFWs the necessary legal assistance for this latest move by the broker.
In line with its “one-China policy," the Philippines does not maintain an embassy in Taiwan. In lieu of an embassy is the MECO.
The group said that when Sage International forced 51 OFWs to sign an agreement that they would be paid on a piece rate, six of them who refused to do so were locked inside a dirty and unlighted room until the 45 others assented to their new conditions of work. Before that they said that they were shouted at and the broker slammed papers in the desk of an office, the workers told Migrante-Taiwan .
APMM disclosed that the broker's partner placement agency in the Philippines, named Golden Green, overcharged the workers of placement and even broker's fees.
The OFWs told Migrante Taiwan that they were made to pay between P70,000 (US$1480) – P130,000 (US$2747) in placement fees while at the same time they were made to remit between P33,000 (US$697) – P65,000 (US$1374) to Golden Green for broker's fees. The workers added that a Golden Green staff was the one who remitted this to Sage International through Elite Express Cargo in its Paraňaque branch in the Philippines.
"There are enough grounds for MECO to blacklist both Sage International and Golden Green as overcharging under Philippine law is equivalent to illegal recruitment which is a criminal offense. But may we ask why Sage and Golden Green are able to send OFWs to Taiwan up to now? the group said.
APMM said MECO should not accept the legality of a new proposed contract by the CLA because these would give Taiwanese brokers more powers who have a long record of abusing and threatening migrant workers on behalf of employers, it would also increase the payment of fees exacted from OFWs which are already taken cared of by the monthly service fees migrant workers pay to them.
"The de facto Philippine Embassy in Taiwan should not make lame excuses that it respects the policies and laws of host governments and/or that the latter is not a member of the ILO to legitimize the sell-out of Filipino migrant workers rights under the new proposed contract," APMM said. - GMANews.TV
The Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM) at the same time called on MECO not to accept the proposal of Taiwan's Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) of a new contract between brokers and migrant workers that would make the former the only legal and labor representatives of the latter among others. Many of these brokers are like Sage International and all of them represent the interests of employers and not the migrant workers.
APMM said four OFWs — Revilla de Jesus, Michelle Hernaez, Leticia Manalo and Evangeline Ayoc of Jia Chiarng Company — sought refuge at a shelter after they were threatened by the broker to have police arrest them for allegedly issuing a death threat to one of Sage's staff .
The four earlier filed a complaint against Jia Chiarng Company in the Legal Aid Foundation (LAF) for underpayment of their basic and overtime pay.
APMM said this was the latest attempt by the broker to force the workers to abandon their complaint against their employer for underpayment of their basic and overtime pay.
It urged MECO to provide the OFWs the necessary legal assistance for this latest move by the broker.
In line with its “one-China policy," the Philippines does not maintain an embassy in Taiwan. In lieu of an embassy is the MECO.
The group said that when Sage International forced 51 OFWs to sign an agreement that they would be paid on a piece rate, six of them who refused to do so were locked inside a dirty and unlighted room until the 45 others assented to their new conditions of work. Before that they said that they were shouted at and the broker slammed papers in the desk of an office, the workers told Migrante-Taiwan .
APMM disclosed that the broker's partner placement agency in the Philippines, named Golden Green, overcharged the workers of placement and even broker's fees.
The OFWs told Migrante Taiwan that they were made to pay between P70,000 (US$1480) – P130,000 (US$2747) in placement fees while at the same time they were made to remit between P33,000 (US$697) – P65,000 (US$1374) to Golden Green for broker's fees. The workers added that a Golden Green staff was the one who remitted this to Sage International through Elite Express Cargo in its Paraňaque branch in the Philippines.
"There are enough grounds for MECO to blacklist both Sage International and Golden Green as overcharging under Philippine law is equivalent to illegal recruitment which is a criminal offense. But may we ask why Sage and Golden Green are able to send OFWs to Taiwan up to now? the group said.
APMM said MECO should not accept the legality of a new proposed contract by the CLA because these would give Taiwanese brokers more powers who have a long record of abusing and threatening migrant workers on behalf of employers, it would also increase the payment of fees exacted from OFWs which are already taken cared of by the monthly service fees migrant workers pay to them.
"The de facto Philippine Embassy in Taiwan should not make lame excuses that it respects the policies and laws of host governments and/or that the latter is not a member of the ILO to legitimize the sell-out of Filipino migrant workers rights under the new proposed contract," APMM said. - GMANews.TV
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