Govt, recruiters support measures to aid OFWs

abs-cbnNEWS.com

Government and recruitment industry representatives have agreed to support measures to strengthen job generation and preservation of Filipino workers overseas.

Represented by more than 150 land- and sea-based, the recruitment industry has committed their support in a communiqué personally presented to President Arroyo in Malacañang on Monday.

In a press statement found on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) web site, it stated that in the communiqué the industry representatives supported the measures together with other government agencies such as the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

DOLE Secretary Marianito Roque said the communiqué contains list of measures that the recruitment industry and concerned government agencies would jointly pursue to preserve the employment of OFWs and at the same time generate jobs for other Filipinos wanting to work abroad.

The global economic crisis has displaced more than 5,000 Filipino workers overseas. Many of those affected by the crisis have since returned to the country jobless.

With the measures, it aims to ensure aggressive investments in skills training and skills enhancements; streamline recruitment processes and policies; share government and private sector registry of workers; strengthen welfare and protection mechanisms of workers; review prevailing salary standards; and conduct of bilateral missions for the protection of OFWs onsite.

During a series of consultations, Roque said industry partners helped government identify concerns and suggested solutions to promote job preservation and job generation in the land-based and sea-based areas overseas to be jointly conducted by the two sectors.

Other important measures focused on the review of the standard/model employment contracts of expatriate Filipino workers to enhance their working conditions, the need to address shortage of officers in seafaring business, facilitate registration of officers through walk-in examinations, and fast track the implementation of rules on the conduct of management level course (MLC) and single examination procedure.

Recent consultations attended by Philippine labor attachés from the Middle East, Europe and Asia also called on strengthened efforts against illegal recruitment and human trafficking of expatriate Filipino workers, and improvement of the competitiveness of Philippine vessels/ships lay-up areas by opening more lay-up ports

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