Jinggoy seeks accord with Australia to protect OFWs

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada yesterday urged the Philippine government to forge an agreement, thru Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), with the Australian government's Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) to protect Filipino workers in Australia Estrada, chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor and of the Congressional Oversight Committee on Labor and Employment, recently met with Australian Ambassador Tony Hely, who said:

"Many of the complaints raised by Filipino workers related to inaccurate or misleading information provided by recruitment agents here in the Philippines, and to repayment of loans taken out here in Manila prior to travel to Australia. These are matters for the Philippine government to address."

Hely revealed he "expects the number of Filipino workers hired thru temporary skilled visas to increase as the rules of the Australian Immigration on English language gets tougher." Filipinos' proficiency with the English language is one of the reasons they have been preferred by Australian employers to migrant workers from other countries.

Estrada said there is a need to have an agreement between the POEA and DIAC to stop the collection by some agents of exorbitant placement fees from Filipino workers bound to Australia and ensure that there would be no breach in the OFWs' visa conditions, adding that Australian employers should only hire OFWs from POEA-licensed recruitment agencies.

He said, "The cost of recruiting foreign skilled workers should be shouldered by the Australian employers and not by the workers. Also, the practice of sponsorship by so-called Labour Hire companies in Australia should be stopped as such is prone to abuses against overseas workers including Filipinos who only wish to work in Australia and not to become slaves."

Estrada said Filipino recruitment agents that agree to abide by these guidelines will be able to apply to have their names listed on the Australian Immigration's website and accredited by the POEA or recognized by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Sydney. Those found breaching the guidelines or secretly charging fees from the OFWs will be removed from the websites of both the Australian Immigration and the POEA, and their license suspended for three months

Australia's strong economy and low record of unemployment have resulted to a high demand for foreign skilled workers, including Filipinos, who are hired by Australian employers thru the 457 Visa Scheme, which allows skilled foreign laborers to work in that country as "guest workers" for a minimum of three months to a maximum of four years.

"The proposed agreement is an important step forward in Philippine-Australian cooperation. It will help us get the most benefit from the more than 300,000 vacant positions in Australia available to migrant workers, including Filipinos," Estrada said.