RP, Jordan to sign agreement on labor cooperation

Philippine and Jordanian labor officials will soon sign an agreement that seeks to address issues arising from the employment of overseas Filipino workers in Jordan.

A Jordanian delegation recently visited Manila to work on the final details of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on labor cooperation with the Philippines.

“We had many discussions with the Philippine Embassy trying to work on the issues involving Filipino workers in Jordan. We agreed that a memorandum of understanding between the two countries will solve these problems,” said Amjad Washah, the director of the Migrant Domestic Workers division of Jordan’s Ministry of Labor.

The Philippines and Jordan had a previous agreement on labor cooperation on general provisions that do not apply anymore to the current situation.

Officials from both countries expect that the memorandum will be signed as soon as possible.

According to the Philippine ambassador to Jordan, Julius Torres, Labor Secretary Marianito Roque has expressed his intention to sign the MOU.

Or, Torres said, he may be authorized by Roque to sign the agreement.

One problem that the new MOU will try to address is the running away of Filipino domestic helpers from their Jordanian employers, even without valid cause.

“Sometimes, the problem with our Filipino workers going to a foreign country to work is that they get culture shock. That is why we asked that proper orientation be done here in the Philippines before allowing the worker to leave and another orientation in Jordan upon arrival there,” Torres said.

“The Filipino employee must be oriented on the Jordanian culture by a Jordanian. On the other hand, the Jordanian employer must also be properly oriented on Philippine culture so that he may respect the values, religion and attitude of his Filipino employee,” Washah said, agreeing with Torres.

According to Washah, many Filipino domestic helpers run away from their employers just because of this cultural difference and misunderstanding.

He said that a medical center will be put up to determine the health condition of a foreigner who is seeking employment in Jordan.

Washah added that the health of the employee has also been a major factor in some cases wherein the employee has not been able to work for the employer.

Bassim Al-Dahamshah of Jordan’s Ministry of Interior disclosed that for the past two years, the Jordanian government had waived the penalties and fines on Filipino workers who overstayed or illegally worked in Jordan.

“Jordan eliminated the fines of overstaying Filipino workers that could have cost 5 million Jordanian dinars [around $7 million] so that the workers may be repatriated to their country,” he said.

The Philippine government has spent around $300,000 for the repatriation of overseas Filipino workers in Jordan who overstayed after the waiver of the fines and penalties by the Jordanian government.

Jordan is planning to set up an electronic system that will strictly monitor the duration of the employment of employers so that they may also determine from the database those who were overstaying in the country.

Torres, meanwhile, said that they are asking the Jordanian government to prohibit employers from holding the passports of the Filipino workers.

“The passport may be surrendered to the Philippine Embassy and if we prove that the worker is the one at fault, then we will be the ones deciding on what to do with him,” the ambassador added.

The Philippines is currently the third-largest source of foreign workers in Jordan, next to Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

The signing of the MOU between Manila and Amman was expected to promote better employment conditions for Jordan’s foreign workers.

Jordan had signed labor cooperation agreements with Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Egypt. –ROMMEL C. LONTAYAO, Manila Times