NZ gov’t urged to extend work permits of OFWs

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