OFWs can now only work for 3 years in Syria

Under a new and more stringent Syrian labor regulation, foreign workers, including Filipinos, will only be allowed to work in Syria for a maximum of three years .

The Regulation of Private Employment Agency for Non-Syrian Domestic Helper, Conditions and Rules of their Employments
in Syria, also known as Decision No. 27, hopes to regulate the employment and entry of foreign workers in Syria and also to protect them from abusive employers.

In a report to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Philippine Ambassador to Syria Wilfredo Cuyugan said the new directive stipulates specific rules that employment agencies and employers must follow in order to avail of services of foreign workers.

“It contains specific provisions regarding the rights of the foreign worker, which includes the adequate salary and proper method of payment, social security coverage, suitable working conditions, annual leaves, clothing, food, medicine, standard working contracts and other entitlements and benefits,” he explained.

There are around 6,000 Filipinos are currently working in Syria, most of them women who are employed as housemaids.

Under Syrian law, the processing of the entry documents of all foreign workers into that country must be done only through licensed employment agencies.

It also states that foreigners are allowed to work in the country for no more than three years. –Daily Tribune