Saudi implements freeze-hire of PH domestic workers

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines has lost one of its labor markets as Saudi Arabia implemented a freeze-hire order Saturday.

Starting July 2, Saudi Arabia will no longer issue work permits for domestic workers from the Philippines and Indonesia due to new hiring guidelines set by the two nations.

Under the terms, the Philippines required foreign employers to pay a minimum wage of $400 or more than P17,000 a month.

The Philippines also demanded information on employers and the residence where the helper will be working to ensure humane working conditions.

However, Saudi authorities offered a base monthly salary of only $210 or around P9,000, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Administrator Carlos Cao Jr. said.

POEA said nearly 12,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in Saudi work as household helpers and drivers.

Among them is driver Rey Otadoy, who now fears he won’t have any job to go back to if he takes a vacation or his contract ends.

“E kung hindi na nila kami pababalikin, paano na ‘yong pamilya namin?” said Otadoy.

Household helper Rose Junio was set to return to Saudi Arabia but now she won’t be able to because of the ban.

Junio said the earnings of her husband, who works as a farmer, will not be enough to pay tuition for their 5 children.

“Kung hindi ako makabalik sa Saudi, totally hindi na sila makakapag-aral,” said Junio.

Recruitment consultant Emmanuel Geslani expressed fear that a majority of these household service workers already working in Saudi Arabia may not be issued a re-entry visa to return to their employers when they apply for an exit visa.

Geslani had previously warned the government that workers may face serious consequences if POEA and the Department of Labor insist on the $400-minimum wage.

‘Multiple disaster’

Migrante International called the freeze-hiring a “multiple disaster”, as an initial 200,000 domestic workers may be displaced and possibly the rest of the 1.8 million OFWs in the kingdom.

The group urged the government to rethink its labor export policy in the wake of Saudi Arabia’s decision to stop the hiring of domestic workers from the Philippines.

“Ito dapat ay maging wake-up call sa pamahalaan na hindi pwede talaga ‘yong labor export policy natin,” said Chairman Gary Martinez.

“’Yong nangyayari ngayong freeze-hiring, hindi natin masasabi na talagang pinoprotektahan ang ating workers. Dito makikita ang bankruptcy ng ating labor policy. Ang Saudization sa Gitnang Silangan ay epekto ng mas malaking krisis pang-ekonomiya,” said Martinez.

Martinez said the government should focus on creating sustainable jobs, adding that the Band-Aid solution proposed by government is not enough.

“Dapat maging malinaw sa gobyerno, para huwag na ilagay ng ating mga kababayan ang kanilang buhay sa delikado, ay ‘yong creation ng jobs dito. Tutal $18 million na ang remittance na naitala noong 2010, dapat ito ang gamitin na pondo sa generation ng jobs sa bansa,” said Martinez.

The new directive would also make OFWs vulnerable to illegal recruitment, human trafficking and human and labor rights abuses, he said.

More risks

The Blas F. Ople Policy Center, a non-government organization that assists distressed overseas workers, also raised concerns of human trafficking, as household service workers with expired contracts may not be allowed by their Saudi employers to go home.

“Human trafficking is a major concern. Because of the Saudi ban, some employers may try to hold on to their Filipino maids even when their contracts have expired because it would now be more difficult to get a replacement from the Philippines and even Indonesia,” said Susan Ople, head of the BFO Center.

The group also called on the government to be united in its stand when addressing Saudi Arabia’s ban.

“We cannot afford to send mixed signals or come up with a vague response because the jobs of millions of Filipino workers could be on the line,” said Ople.

Meanwhile, the Coalition of Licensed Agencies for Domestic and Service Workers urged the Philippine government to sit with the Saudi government to discuss a more realistic salary range and review the country’s employment reform package. — Reports from Jing Castañeda, ABS-CBN News; ANC