訂閱苦勞 KIMBERLY JANE T. TAN 的文章

OFWs demand equal rights for migrants in Taiwan

yauzong — Wed, 06 May 2009 09:57:49 +0800

MANILA, Philippines - Despite working 15 hours a day, Filipina caregiver Marissa Fernandez is paid lower than the minimum wage in Taiwan – with almost a third of her pay eaten up by the fees that she has to pay monthly.

“I work 15 hours a day, I get paid NT$15,840 a month (P22,979) — which is lower than the legal minimum wage. But then I have to pay NT$1,800 to the broker, NT$1,950 in tax, and NT$236 for labor insurance," Fernandez told the Taipei Times.

Filipino factory worker Sam said in the same report that even laid-off migrant workers suffer “illegal treatment."

“Because of the economic crisis, many factories are laying off migrant workers but refuse to pay us the compensation fee required by law," he said.

These problems, Migrante International’s Taiwan Chapter chairman Dave Chang said, arise because domestic workers are not protected by the country’s Labor Standards Act.

“I know some migrant workers in factories in Taiwan who are paid only NT$24 per hour," he said.

This, in turn, prompted more than 600 migrant workers to protest at various locations in Taiwan, including the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA), Democratic Progressive Party Headquarters, and the Presidential Office last Sunday.

The report said the protesters petitioned for “equal work" and “equal pay," thereby abolishing “discrimination" in the workplace.

“Unequal pay among domestic and foreign workers has also increased hatred and prejudice between the two groups," they said in a statement.

Most of those who participated in the protest are workers from Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines who were reportedly not protected by the Labor Standards Act and ended up the first ones to lose their jobs after Taiwan felt the effects of the global financial crisis.

The CLA Department of Labor Standards Section Chief Wang Chin-yang, meanwhile, said that they have decided to hold meetings that would discuss whether to include certain workers under the Labor Standards Act, as well as whether to raise the minimum wage “in the near future." - Kimberly Jane T. Tan, GMANews.TV

資料日期:

2009/04/30

Filipino factory worker Sam said in the same report that even laid-off migrant workers suffer “illegal treatment."

“Because of the economic crisis, many factories are laying off migrant workers but refuse to pay us the compensation fee required by law," he said.

These problems, Migrante International’s Taiwan Chapter chairman Dave Chang said, arise because domestic workers are not protected by the country’s Labor Standards Act.

“I know some migrant workers in factories in Taiwan who are paid only NT$24 per hour," he said.

The report said the protesters petitioned for “equal work" and “equal pay," thereby abolishing “discrimination" in the workplace.

“Unequal pay among domestic and foreign workers has also increased hatred and prejudice between the two groups," they said in a statement.

'OFWs laid off from Taiwan need compensation, not a lunch date'

yauzong — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 11:31:48 +0800

MANILA, Philippines - Offer compensation, not a "lunch date," for Filipino workers who have lost their jobs abroad as a result of the global economic crunch.

Migrante International gave this unsolicited advice on Wednesday to Labor Secretary Marianito Roque, who has reportedly promised at least OFWs laid off from Taiwan a meeting with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Migrante has noted that as of November, at least 720 Filipino workers were rendered jobless when 12 companies closed down in Taiwan.

The first batch of 103 workers returned to the Philippines on Tuesday and were said to have been invited to come to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) head office in Manila to meet with the President on Friday.

Migrante suspects that Malacaňang would only use the occasion for PR purposes.

"Instead of genuinely addressing the problems of these distressedcOFWs, Malacaňang would rather use them for a photo opportunity to cover up for their inutility. This is nothing but a display of government's utter callousness to the plight of the retrenched OFWs," said Migrante chairperson Garry Martinez in a statement.

Migrante said most of the repatriated Filipinos complained that they had to pay for their own air fare.

The Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, the Philippines' de facto embassy in Taiwan, gave each OFW only $1,500 Taiwanese dollars or about P2,200 even though a one-way ticket air fare costs more than NT$5,000 or more than P7,300.

Some of the workers were even forced to sell their belongings just to be able to pay for their tickets, said Martinez.

On the Department of Labor and Employment's (DOLE) promise to go after recruiters who did not pay for the air fare of the laid-off workers they deployed, Migrante advised OFWs no to accept any amount less than what they should be receiving as stated in their contract.

"The OFWs are not the ones liable for the premature termination of their contract. Returning their air fare expenses alone is therefore an injustice to them. It is utterly infuriating that Secretary Roque himself seems to be working only for the interest of the recruiters and employers," said Martinez in the statement.

Efforts to get the side of Secretary Roque and OWWA Administrator Carmelita Dimzon were in vain.

Migrante said that the DOLE should immediately release the one-million bond posted by each recruitment agency to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and use it to compensate the laid-off OFWs.

"Most of these laid-off OFWs are heavily indebted before leaving the country. They should not be punished for something they are not at fault of and should be compensated accordingly. Roque should stop protecting the recruiters. It is the OFWs who are paying their salary. Unless he is receiving pay-off money from employers and recruiters," said Martinez.

According to Migrante, most of the OFWs were retrenched from companies involved in manufacturing textile, electronics, and metalwork, among others.

The group warned that the situation will get worse next year as Taiwan's Council of Labor Affairs announced that Taiwan will terminate 50,000 migrant workers next year, effectively affecting 11,550 Filipino workers. - Kimberly Jane T. Tan, GMANews.TV

資料日期:

2008/12/03

說明:

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/137261/OFWs-laid-off-from-Taiwan-need-compen...

MANILA, Philippines - Offer compensation, not a "lunch date," for Filipino workers who have lost their jobs abroad as a result of the global economic crunch.

Migrante has noted that as of November, at least 720 Filipino workers were rendered jobless when 12 companies closed down in Taiwan.

Migrante suspects that Malacaňang would only use the occasion for PR purposes.

Migrante said most of the repatriated Filipinos complained that they had to pay for their own air fare.

Some of the workers were even forced to sell their belongings just to be able to pay for their tickets, said Martinez.

Efforts to get the side of Secretary Roque and OWWA Administrator Carmelita Dimzon were in vain.

According to Migrante, most of the OFWs were retrenched from companies involved in manufacturing textile, electronics, and metalwork, among others.

Global migration forum to draw migrant rights violators, says group

yauzong — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:05:40 +0800

MANILA, Philippines - A migrant workers advocacy group on Wednesday said delegates who will be participating in the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) on October 27 to 30 are actually the leading violators of migrant rights worldwide.

"Hindi kami nagtitiwala sa GFMD, 'yun pong mga bansang mag-uusap sa GFMD ay ang mga bansang numero unang umaatake sa mga migrante sa daigdig," said Emmanuel Villanueva, vice chairperson of the Filipino Migrants Workers Union, during a media briefing in Quezon City on Wednesday.

(We do not trust the GFMD, the countries who will be talking during the GFMD are actually the top countries who attack migrants all over the world.)

He said that countries like the United States are the leading promoters of massive crackdowns on undocumented workers. Villanueva said the first-world country arrests, jails, and deports such migrants back to Mexico.

He also cited the recent crackdowns in Malaysia, resulting in thousands of Filipinos and Indonesians being physically, emotionally, and sexually abused.

He said South Korea is no different, having been known for its strict migration policies, most specifically in arresting and deporting leaders of migrant trade unions to Nepal and Bangladesh.

Not for migrants

Villanueva said the GFMD was not meant for migrants or migrant workers at all.

"Hindi totoong para sa migrante, walang migranteng dadalo (It's not true it's for migrants, no migrants will attend the forum)," he said.

Moreover, he told GMANews.TV in an interview that GFMD organizers did not invite migrants on purpose.

"Ginagamit lang ang GFMD, hindi naman kasi well-represented ang grassroots (They are just using the GFMD, the grassroots are not well-represented," he said.

He said that even the civil society days of the forum on October 27 and 28 do not give enough space for migrants who have something to say.

"Only international organizations and those linked with the church are invited," said Villanueva.

He added that they are not complaining because they will not be able to participate in the event but because they already know who will be there and what they will be talking about.

Real agenda

Villanueva said that these countries only mean to tackle the issue of economic development using migration, and nothing else.

"At tunay namang kaduda-duda na magiging agenda daw ay migration (And it's really suspicious that their agenda is allegedly migration)," he said.

Moreover, Villanueva said he was doubtful that a "human face" to migration would really surface from the talks, as promised by Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr, head of the Department of Foreign Affairs' office of migrant workers affairs.

"Ang ibig sabihin lang naman ng kanilang human face ay papaano pa pararamihin ang mga migrante at ang remittances nila (What they mean by 'human face' is how to increase the number of migrants and their remittances.)," he said.

He said that according to World Bank records, migrant workers' remittances totaled to $337 billion in 2007, only counting those that went through the 'normal' or legal channels.

In other words, he said they are only "sugar-coating" the real agenda of the GFMD, which is to use dollar remittances to make up for the global financial crisis.

"Magreresulta lang ito sa mas matindi pang mga paglabag sa karapatang pantao ng mga migrante sa daigdig (This will just result in more human rights violations of migrants all over the world)," he said.

Benefits of forum

Government officials earlier explained that the Philippines has a lot to gain from the international forum.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said the GFMD would showcase the government's "best practices" in migration, which he said is being emulated by the world over.

"The Philippines' hosting of the 2nd GFMD draws the attention of the world to our efforts and milestones in the protection and empowerment of Filipino overseas and their families," Romulo has said. He said the government would have a chance to show its three-decade lead in its policy toward migration before the 192 countries being represented in the forum.

Esteban Conejos Jr, DFA undersecretary for migrant workers affairs, said the exchange of ideas in the forum would push the government to come up with better ideas to perfect structures for OFWs.

"(It will also) widen our global network contact to ensure that our OFWs will always be protected," he added.

An alternative assembly

Just recently, Press Secretary Jesus Dureza dared "skeptical" migrant groups to join them in the three-day forum instead of protesting in the streets.

"There is a proper forum for them to have their own activities," he said.

But Villanueva said they will go ahead with their own global conference.

"We don't need the GFMD, kaya namin magsalita para sa sarili namin (we can speak for ourselves)," he said.

Militant group Migrante International is sponsoring, together with the International Migrants Alliance (IMA), the International Assembly of Migrants and Refugees on October 19 to 30 at the Bayview Park Hotel in Manila.

The said event is supposed to be "a genuine gathering of migrants and migrants organizations from various countries of the world."

He said they also plan to hold simultaneous protests in countries like South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, United States, Canada, and Australia.

Pickets will also be held in embassies and consuls known to be "notorious" human rights violators, specifically in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and the United States. - GMANews.TV

資料日期:

2008/10/15

摘要:

A migrant workers advocacy group on Wednesday said delegates who will be participating in the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) on October 27 to 30 are actually the leading violators of migrant rights worldwide.

(We do not trust the GFMD, the countries who will be talking during the GFMD are actually the top countries who attack migrants all over the world.)

He also cited the recent crackdowns in Malaysia, resulting in thousands of Filipinos and Indonesians being physically, emotionally, and sexually abused.

He said South Korea is no different, having been known for its strict migration policies, most specifically in arresting and deporting leaders of migrant trade unions to Nepal and Bangladesh.

Not for migrants

Villanueva said the GFMD was not meant for migrants or migrant workers at all.

"Hindi totoong para sa migrante, walang migranteng dadalo (It's not true it's for migrants, no migrants will attend the forum)," he said.

Moreover, he told GMANews.TV in an interview that GFMD organizers did not invite migrants on purpose.

"Ginagamit lang ang GFMD, hindi naman kasi well-represented ang grassroots (They are just using the GFMD, the grassroots are not well-represented," he said.

He said that even the civil society days of the forum on October 27 and 28 do not give enough space for migrants who have something to say.

"Only international organizations and those linked with the church are invited," said Villanueva.

He added that they are not complaining because they will not be able to participate in the event but because they already know who will be there and what they will be talking about.

Real agenda

Villanueva said that these countries only mean to tackle the issue of economic development using migration, and nothing else.

"At tunay namang kaduda-duda na magiging agenda daw ay migration (And it's really suspicious that their agenda is allegedly migration)," he said.

He said that according to World Bank records, migrant workers' remittances totaled to $337 billion in 2007, only counting those that went through the 'normal' or legal channels.

In other words, he said they are only "sugar-coating" the real agenda of the GFMD, which is to use dollar remittances to make up for the global financial crisis.

Benefits of forum

Government officials earlier explained that the Philippines has a lot to gain from the international forum.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said the GFMD would showcase the government's "best practices" in migration, which he said is being emulated by the world over.

Esteban Conejos Jr, DFA undersecretary for migrant workers affairs, said the exchange of ideas in the forum would push the government to come up with better ideas to perfect structures for OFWs.

"(It will also) widen our global network contact to ensure that our OFWs will always be protected," he added.

An alternative assembly

Just recently, Press Secretary Jesus Dureza dared "skeptical" migrant groups to join them in the three-day forum instead of protesting in the streets.

"There is a proper forum for them to have their own activities," he said.

But Villanueva said they will go ahead with their own global conference.

"We don't need the GFMD, kaya namin magsalita para sa sarili namin (we can speak for ourselves)," he said.

The said event is supposed to be "a genuine gathering of migrants and migrants organizations from various countries of the world."

He said they also plan to hold simultaneous protests in countries like South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, United States, Canada, and Australia.

Pickets will also be held in embassies and consuls known to be "notorious" human rights violators, specifically in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and the United States. - GMANews.TV