MANILA, Philippines—A group of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in New Zealand will try to persuade immigration officials there next month to allow OFWs laid off due to redundancy to remain in the South Pacific state so that they could find new jobs.
Migrante said that New Zealand Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman acknowledged Monday receiving its letter of June 12 which sought government intervention in extending laid-off migrants’ work permits for three to six months.
“We believe that granting this appeal will not only alleviate considerable hardship for the individuals involved, but will also be the appropriate move to protect the rights of migrant workers who significantly contribute to the needs of the New Zealand economy,” the group’s national coordinator Dennis Maga said in his letter to Coleman.
Migrante, with the support of the local labor group National Distribution Union, earlier launched a petition regarding the work extension, adding that in practice, some employers had been willing to keep their workers for two to three months after announcing the redundancies, thus giving laid-off workers a chance to seek new jobs.
The group said migrant workers whose jobs were declared redundant usually receive two- to four-week notices from their employers.
Maga, however, said the period was not sufficient for a retrenched worker to find a new job and apply for a new work permit.
“Many migrants and their families have lost their residency applications and are in deep trouble. They have sold their homes and assets in their country of origin to move to New Zealand and have nothing to return to,” the petition said.
Maga said that retrenched OFWs and Filipinos seeking work in New Zealand would find it more difficult to land jobs after the labor department last week removed 40 occupations from its list of job categories that have “skills shortage” and may be filled up by migrant workers.
The de-listed job categories included bakers, sheep farm workers and numerous construction sector occupations, such as bricklayers, carpenters, plumbers and scaffolders. –Jerome Aning, Philippine Daily Inquirer
July 2025
Nutrition Month
“Give us much more than P50 increase
for proper nutrition!”
Invoke Article 33 of the ILO Constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar
to carry out the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry recommendations
against serious violations of
Forced Labour and Freedom of Association protocols.
Accept National Unity Government (NUG)
of Myanmar. Reject Military!
#WearMask #WashHands #Distancing #TakePicturesVideosturesVideos
July
3 July – International Day of Cooperatives
3 July – International Plastic Bag Free Day
5 July – World Youth Skills Day
7 July – Global Forgiveness Day
11 July – World Population Day
17 July – World Day for International Justice
28 July – World Nature Conservation Day
30 July – World Day against Trafficking in Persons
Monthly Observances:
Schools Safety Month
Nutrition Month
National Disaster Consciousness Month
Weekly Observances:
Week 2: Cultural Communities Week
Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise
Development Week
Week 3: National Science and
Technology Week
National Disability Prevention and
Rehabilitation Week
July 1-7:
National Culture Consciousness Week
July 13-19:
Philippines Business Week
Week ending last Saturday of July:
Arbor Week
Daily Observances:
First Saturday of July:
International Cooperative Day
in the Philippines
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
