Press release

Philippines tackles migrant workers’ rights, recommends shared migrant data and complaint mechanisms

Government, employers and workers organizations from the Philippines along with organizations and experts on migration recommend better data sharing and a multilateral approach in handling labour complaints, among others, to better protect and promote the rights of migrant workers.

Press release | Makati City, Philippines | 09 September 2013
At the Philippine Preparatory Workshop for the 6th ASEAN Forum on Migrant Labour (AFML), hosted by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), national tripartite constituents – government, employers’ and workers’ organizations presented recommendations for the development of shared migrant data collection systems and complaint mechanisms.

The National Workshop for the 6th AFML, held in Manila last September 6, was supported by the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) ASEAN Triangle Project, with funding from the Government of Canada. Participants included representatives from the various DOLE agencies working on migrant worker issues, the ILO, the Task Force on ASEAN Migrant Workers (TFAMW), as well as Philippine trade unions, employers’ organizations, and civil society organizations.

“The goal of this National Preparatory Meeting is simple: our dialogue today is about decent and productive work through better regional and national cooperation,” said Mr Manuel Imson, Senior Programme Officer of the ILO ASEAN Triangle Project.

The AFML is an open platform for the review, discussion and exchange of best practices and ideas between governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations, and civil society stakeholders on key issues facing migrant workers in the ASEAN region; and the development of recommendations to advance the implementation of the principles framed under the ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers. National Preparatory Workshops are being conducted in a number of ASEAN member-states to support the crafting of country positions that will be tackled during the 6th AFML which will be held in 26-27 November 2013 and hosted by Brunei Darussalam.

Labour migration has been a big issue for the Philippines for decades. The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) reports that they processed over 2 million contracts and 1.8 million migrant workers were deployed in 2012 alone. Within the same year, migrant workers (called Overseas Filipino Workers or OFWs) sent home almost US$22 billion in remittances, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). The significance of these growing numbers is reflected by how the link between migration and development has been included in seven out of nine chapters of the current Philippine Development Plan and the Philippine Labor and Employment Plan.

The participatory process of the National Preparatory Workshop yielded recommendations such as the development of an ASEAN region-wide template for sharing data and a migration report so migrant workers would be better informed about the laws, regulations, and dispute settlement systems in labour-receiving countries. Conducting studies on the existing judicial and legal system mechanisms in ASEAN, pushing for the adoption of a multilateral agreement on how to handle labour cases concerning migrant workers, and improving access to host countries’ complaint mechanisms were also endorsed.

In addition, speakers from the government, trade unions and civil society reported about the country’s progress in implementing the previous AFML recommendations. DOLE officials, in particular, pointed to the government’s continued preparations for the free flow of skilled labour within ASEAN – an objective towards the region’s 2015 goal of an ASEAN Economic Community, which includes the development and implementation of Mutual Recognition Arrangements in eight (8) key professions: engineering, nursing, architecture, surveying, medical practice, dental practice, tourism and accountancy.

"The ideal outcome is to have the free movement of manpower resources within the ASEAN region without any discrimination, without any constraints, except those that will not promote or protect the migrant worker," said Mr Rene Cristobal, who presented for the Employers’ Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP).

For further information please contact:


Mr Manuel Imson, Senior Programme Officer/Project Coordinator
ASEAN TRIANGLE Project
Tel: +66 2 288 2243
Email

Ms Catherine Laws, National Project Coordinator
ASEAN TRIANGLE Project (Philippines)
Tel: +63 2 580 9900
Email