Government addressing effects of new Saudi labor policy

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang said yesterday the government has contingency measures for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in case Saudi Arabia imposes its new policy halting the grant of working permits to domestic helpers coming from Asian countries.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the Palace was confident that there were alternative destinations that could absorb OFWs wanting to go to Saudi Arabia but were affected by the ban.

“The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has a livelihood training and assistance program for those who will be affected by the policies,” Valte said.

These livelihood packages for returning OFWs include training and assistance for food processing, garments, beauty shops or computer shops.

Saudi authorities announced the new policy called “Saudization” that would prioritize hiring of local workers instead of foreign laborers. Aside from the Philippines, Indonesia, which also sends domestic workers to Saudi Arabia, is also affected by the policy.

Saudi Arabia and Asian countries sending workers to the kingdom could not agree on hiring conditions that seek better worker protection and ensure worker safety.

However, Valte said these demands were based on labor laws.

Malacañang earlier said the Philippines would seek clarification from Saudi Arabia about the new policy. Valte said the DOLE wanted to clarify whether the policy would only affect new applicants and not those who are rehires and those already working there.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario has expressed optimism that the Saudization program will not affect other labor markets as Filipino workers are very much in demand and continue to have “excellent” marketability.

Del Rosario said on Friday during a forum of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) that the Saudization program poses a problem because of more than 1.2 million Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia.

“This is a problem for us. We do have a significant number of OFWs in Saudi Arabia. There are 1.2 million Filipinos in Saudi Arabia and I think it is more than that,” Del Rosario said.

The Philippines demands a base monthly pay of US$400 for domestic workers.

Saudi Arabia also rejected the requirement to disclose the profiles of the employers as well as the workplaces of Filipino household helpers because of privacy reasons.

Del Rosario acknowledged that host countries may have difficulty complying with the conditions set by the Philippines.

He expressed hope that the Philippines can make an appeal based on the perceived competence of Filipino workers. “Our people are very much in demand,” he said.

“We are hardworking, speak English, we are quick to learn and we’re very loyal. I think those are traits valued by employers all over the world, and I’m not speaking only of household service workers,” he said.

‘Stop Saudi deployment’

An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), on the other hand, believes the country should not be deploying workers to Saudi Arabia now that the new hiring policy in the kingdom is in effect.

The new hiring policy, which aims to lessen unemployment in the kingdom, encourages local firms to hire Saudi nationals.

The Saudi government issued an advisory on March 12 regarding the suspension in the processing and approval of job applications from the Philippines.

DOLE now estimates that the new policy will affect 300,000 Filipino workers in the kingdom. It previously estimated that 90,000 low-skilled workers would be displaced.

Fr. Edwin Corros, executive secretary of the CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People, said stopping the deployment of Filipino workers to the kingdom lessens the number of abused workers.

“It would be good if we would stop deploying household service workers (HSW) to Saudi to avoid the possibility of abuse,” he said.

Bargaining

Special Assistant Attorney Rico Fos of the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) said on Thursday that officials from the Philippine embassy in Riyadh will be led by Ambassador Ezzedin Tago and the labor attaché during the meeting with Deputy Minister of Labor Dr. Abdulwahid bin Khalid Al-Humaid.

A team from the Saudi government was in Manila to negotiate working conditions and most of the things have been agreed upon except for the salary of $400 and the Saudi officials are asking for around half that.

“And we have not given in,” Fos said. Saudi Arabia asked for $200-250 salary for household service workers.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the Philippine government is assessing the impact of the new policy on Filipino workers employed by small establishments.

The Saudi Labor Ministry is classifying 300,000 local companies into four categories: excellent and green (complying companies), and yellow and red (non-complying companies).

Local firms will be required to hire a minimum number of Saudi citizens. The categorization is expected to be completed on Aug. 30.

‘Phl needs labor export policy’

At the Senate, Sen. Francis Escudero said the Philippines should push for free trade in services, not only goods, as part of the General Agreement on Trade in Services to make the country the preferred source of human capital.

He said the government should officially recognize that the country has a labor export so that policies for better working conditions and status for Filipino workers overseas should be negotiated in an agreement between governments.

“In the absence of a labor export policy, which I really think the government should seriously consider, we must brace ourselves in the event that this move by Saudi Arabia becomes a trend in other land-based deployments,” Escudero said.

He also said the labor department should invest in research to forecast employment trends so the government can better plan and model employment opportunities for workers abroad.

Senate committee on foreign relations chairwoman Loren Legarda, for her part, said, “We cannot sit idly by and wait for the mass termination and deportation of our workers from Saudi Arabia.”

As early as April this year, Legarda had already called the attention of the Department of Foreign Affairs to the difficulties experienced by Filipino workers, mostly maids, in Saudi Arabia.

“We cannot afford not to be worried. The Migrant Workers Act mandates our government agencies to be always on their toes in the service of our more than eight million Filipinos overseas,” Legarda said.

“In the long-haul… we need a resilient economy that can offer options for the return and reintegration of our overseas Filipinos,” she said.

Migrante: Job creation is needed

Meanwhile, the Migrante-Middle East yesterday called on the government not to be complacent and prepare for Saudi Arabia’s slamming the door on Filipino domestic helpers.

In a statement, Migrante-Middle East Migrante regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona said the government should not attempt to downplay the situation to the detriment of OFWs.

“The Aquino government, through the Department of Labor and Employment and other government agencies, should not only expect for the best but also to prepare for the worst in regard to the impact of these labor market reforms on OFWs by crafting safety nets or a comprehensive plan to lessen the impact of jobs termination or dislocation among OFWs,” he said.

The group also asked President Aquino to focus on the creation of jobs in the Philippines, instead of marketing Filipino workers to foreign employers. – Aurea Calica, Pia Lee-Brago, Sheila Crisostomo, Evelyn Macairan, Marvin Sy, Mayen Jaymalin, (The Philippine Star)