Labor chiefs to meet on window cleaning, illegal recruitment

By Vir B. Lumicao

Bello seeks ban on window clearning

Philippine labor secretary Silvestre Bello III is due to meet his Hong Kong counterpart, Matthew Cheung, on Friday, Sept. 23, to discuss a range of issues affecting Filipino domestic workers, including taking out window cleaning from the list of domestic work.

Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre said Secretary Bello  will arrive at 10 am on Friday, and after a short break, will go into the meeting with Cheung,

They are expected to talk about issues affecting the 1185,000 Filipino domestic workers, particularly a proposal to exclude cleaning windows from their daily chores.

The work puts lives at risk

The move came in the wake of a series of incidents involving domestic workers falling from high-rise buildings while cleaning windows.

It was one of the issues brought up by United Filipinos-Migrante Hong Kong during a recent rally held to call for higher pay and better work security.

Ad for the fake jobs

Also on the agenda is an appeal for help by some 500 Filipino migrant workers who were victimized in a multi-million dollar recruitment fraud for supposed jobs in Britain and Canada.

The claimants are asking for help from both governments to consolidate their cases so they can get their money back quickly, and for the police to investigate recruiter Ester Ylagan for alleged fraud.

Labatt de la Torre said Cheung had initially proposed a Monday meeting, but Bello asked if they could meet earlier.

“It’s good Secretary Cheung agreed to move the meeting forward,” de la Torre said.

Secretary Bello is flying back to Manila on Sunday night.

Also on Bello’s agenda is a visit to the Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge on Saturday, and a meeting with Filipino community leaders at the University of Hong Kong on Sunday afternoon, which is being coordinated by Unifil.

During the consultation, Unifil plans to present the long-standing demands of Filipino workers, including the strict implementation of the government’s no placement fee policy, scrapping of many of the fees imposed on OFWs, and a clarification of the recent resolution abolishing the overseas employment certificate.

Secretary Bello will be accompanied by incoming OWWA Administrator Rebecca Calzado and a couple of new appointees, but without POEA Administrator Hans Cacdac.