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
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For widespread, practical equality!”
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September –
5 Sept – Intl Day of Charity
7 Sept – Intl Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies
8 Sept – International Literacy Day
12 Sept – United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation
15 Sept – International Day of Democracy
16 Sept – International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
17 Sept – World Patient Safety Day
18 Sept – International Equal Pay Day
21 Sept – International Day of Peace
26 Sept – International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
27 Sept – World Tourism Day
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29 Sept – International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste
30 Sept – World Maritime Day
Monthly Observances:
Health, Safety and Sanitation Month
National Clean-up Month
Civil Service Month
National Peace Consciousness Month
Social Security Month
Rule of Law Month
National Teachers’ Month (Sept 5-Oct 4)
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Sept 17 – 23:
World Clean and Green Week
Week 2: Education Week
Week 4: Medicine Week
Last Week: National Family Week
Daily Observances:
Third Saturday:
International Coastal Clean-up Day
Third Monday: World Health Day
Last Friday: National Maritime Day
Sept 8: National Literacy Day
Sept 15: Philippine Medicine Day
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