House probe on OFW contract substitution urged

abs-cbnNEWS.com | 07/04/2009 11:37 AM

MANILA - A lawmaker filed a resolution before the House of Representatives to conduct a congressional probe on the complaints of Filipino migrant workers deployed in Libya.

Gabriela Partylist Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan said the House Resolution No. 1081 seek to investigate the contract substitution and labor malpractice complaints of 50 OFWs against their employer in Libya.

“It is ironic that contract switching is still being practiced even if it is prohibited under Sec. 6 par. 1 of Republic Act. No. 8042 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipino Act of 1995,” Ilagan said.

Based on their complaint, the workers stated that they were forced to sign a new contract that stipulates a salary of US$300 for 12-hour a day for six days a week work. In their original contract, the workers signed a US$420 for 8-hours of work, 6 days a week.

Aside from contract substitution, the workers also revealed that they were allegedly subjected to poor living conditions, inhuman and prison like treatment by their employer.

Ilagan said the workers were twice exploited when the Labor Attache in Libya whose assistance they sought failed to protect them and instead served as spokesperson of the respondent employer.

Labor Attache Nasser Mustafa even defended the stipulations of the substituted contracts, in direct contravention of his duties to protect the rights of the OFWs, Ilagan said.

She reiterated that Republic Act 8042 mandates the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Labor and Employment, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration to extend immediate assistance to OFWs.

Comments

Too late but a good move

The case of the 50 OFWs whose contract were alledgedly change to a lower salary and longer hours work is no far greater than the agony of those who where not paid at all.

This move should have been done long before the case in Libya occured, as there were thousands of similar reported cases in the past particularly to the Middle East bound OFWs. This is the kind of prove that both houses of congress should be doing and dedicate a fraction of their time.

As a victim myself, I can say that this is a quick fix problem, no publicity needed nor congressional prove. What we need to resolve this issue is only "POLITICAL WILL".

vtyear@jobzter.net

Submitted by VTYEAR on Sat, 07/04/2009 - 13:23.

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