QATAR INTRODUCES LABOR LAW TO PROTECT FILIPINO WORKERS
KIMBERLY JANE T. TAN, GMANews.TV
04/01/2009 | 05:29 PM
MANILA, Philippines - Qatar has introduced a law that protects overseas Filipino workers (OFW) and other expatriate workers, the Department of Labor and Employment said Wednesday.
In a recent meeting with the Philippine government in Bohol, the Qatari delegation explained their new “Sponsorship Law."
Under it, they said, Qatar’s Ministry of Labor or Ministry of Interior can allow workers who were maltreated and abused to transfer to other employers.
The delegation added that if a Filipino worker files a case with the labor court and the regular court, his or her employer cannot send the worker back the Philippines until pending claims have been settled.
Moreover, Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said in a statement that the two countries discussed the ratification of the Additional Protocol to the RP-Qatar Agreement Concerning Filipino Manpower Employment in Qatar.
The agreement was entered into by the Philippines and the Qatari government in 1997 to settle matters regarding the deployment and welfare protection for OFWs in Qatar.
In addition, the two delegations also reportedly agreed to address illegal recruitment and excessive charging of fees by recruitment agencies by “actively exchanging needed information."
Roque also said that the DOLE proposed that OFWs be required exit clearances prior to their deployment to Qatar to prevent the illegal recruitment of Filipino workers.
The department, he added, would also submit a training proposal to the Qatari government asking for their cooperation and assistance in training OFWs, thereby ensuring an adequate supply of skilled workers as needed by employers.
Job opportunities
Roque also said the two delegations discussed the employment prospects for OFWs in Qatar.
Between October 2008 and March 2009, he said Qatar has already approved a total of 296,787 work visas for OFWs - 190,000 of which have been filled up.
This, in turn, reportedly indicates that over 100,000 work visas are still available for OFWs.
The labor chief said that about 85 percent of the available jobs for OFWs in Qatar are for technical and highly skilled workers in the construction sector.
The Commission on Filipinos Overseas reported that about 195,558 Filipinos worked and resided in Qatar in 2007. - GMANews.TV
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