By The SUN
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| Long queues and difficulty of access are not the only problems linked to the OEC (File) |
Calls for the scrapping of the overseas employment
certificate and the host of government fees being attached to it, plus a collective
stand against allegations of job-hopping among foreign domestic workers, top
the agenda in tomorrow’s meeting between visiting officials from the Department
of Migrant Workers and Filipino community leaders.
The town-hall meeting will be streamed live from the
Philippine Consulate General’s Facebook page from 9am to 11am tomorrow. Viewers
are invited to send in their questions and concerns via email to
info.hkpcg.gmail.com before or during the meeting.
According to Consul General Raly Tejada, those who are
confirmed to attend the meeting are DMW Undersecretary for Policy and
International Cooperation Patricia Yvonne Caunan, Undersecretary for Finance and
Internal Affairs Anthonette Velasco Allones, and Overseas Workers Welfare
Administration Deputy Administrator Honey Quino.
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He said that as of yesterday, DMW Secretary Susan “Toots”
Ople who used to be a frequent visitor to Hong Kong, was not with the group and
he was unsure if she would join the forum.
The Consulate advisory on the meeting said the Filcom’s
opinion on alleged job-hopping of FDWs, which has long been called by migrant
support organizations as untrue and discriminatory, will be sought for submission
to the authorities.
Hong Kong’s Labour Department began an eight-week consultation
on the issue starting on March 21, when it submitted a list of proposals to the
Legislative Council, including getting employment agencies to tell FDWs hired
through them that they should not terminate their contracts before the two-year
expiration or they will be sent home within 14 days.
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This so-called 14-day rule which mandates that FDWs
whose contracts are pre-terminated, either by themselves or their employers,
will be sent home within two weeks, has long been a policy of the Immigration
Department.
However, requiring agencies to issue a reminder to the
migrant workers about this rule has stoked fears of a hard-fist implementation
of the policy, especially as it is paired with a proposal to refund fees paid
by employers, or allow them to get a discount if they hire a new FDW through
the same agency.
Migrant organizations led by United Filipinos in Hong
Kong have called on the Consulate to take a firm stand against the job-hopping
allegation as it promotes forced labor, or curtails the right of migrants to
choose who to work for.
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Another issue Unifil wants to bring to the table are
the recurring problems tied to the OEC. These include the long queues for home-bound
OFWs who need to secure them to guarantee their return to Hong Kong, and the
various government fees being attached to this exit permit.
Unifil has long lobbied for its scrapping, saying it
does not serve any purpose than to make life difficult for OFWs who want or
need to go home.
Marites Palma, founder of Social Justice for Migrant
Workers, is among those advocating for the removal of the OEC, and at the same
time, stop the collection of government fees which are being attached to it,
such as premium payments for Pag-IBIG, SSS and PhilHealth.
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She said she also planned to complain about employment
agencies that shirk their responsibilities to the FDWs they deploy from the
Philippines.
Rodelia Pedro, founder of Domestic Workers Corner,
said she would like to ask why OWWA only provides livelihood assistance to workers
who were terminated or abused by their employers.
She said there are many veteran FDWs here who already
want to go home to be with their families but hesitate because they cannot get
the same help from OWWA.
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Another issue she is concerned about is the limited
space at the shelter run by OWWA. She said it would help a lot if OFWs who were
terminated would have someplace to go to while looking for a new employer or
pursuing a labor case.
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