PHL may bar deployment of workers to Taiwan — CNA

The Philippines may ban the deployment of domestic helpers to Taiwan, supposedly due to a disagreement over who should shoulder payments for the workers, Taiwan's Central News Agency reported Wednesday night. CNA said Philippine Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz insisted that Taiwanese employers cover the workers' expenses, including fees to labor brokers, travel document fees, round-trip tickets and health check fees. Baldoz allegedly insisted on these conditions during a meeting with Taiwan's Council of Labor Affairs last Nov. 5, the CNA report said. When Taiwan Council officials said such a proposal was not reasonable, a follow-up meeting scheduled for the following day was canceled, the report added. Manila Economic and Cultural Office head Amadeo Perez Jr. was quoted in the CNA report as saying he is working to establish a middle ground with Taiwan officials. He also hoped he could secure a decrease in commission fees, the report added. CNA said some 90,000 Filipinos are working in Taiwan, and 20,000 of them are domestic helpers who are paid US$480 monthly. Earlier, the Philippine government said it is planning to stop issuing permits to brokers in Malaysia, another major destination for Philippine workers, to phase out its export of domestic helpers in five years and protect the rights of workers currently in other countries. Stopping supply The CNA report quoted a Philippine labor official as saying the disagreement may prompt the Philippines to stop supplying domestic helpers to Taiwan to protect the rights of its laborers. It also quoted the official as saying Philippine labor laws decree that overseas employers are obligated to shoulder all related costs of their laborers. The official was also quoted as saying Philippine domestic helpers are only charged commission fees equivalent to a month's wage in many countries before their arrival. On the other hand, the official said people who wish to work in Taiwan will have to pay US$1,457 in commissions, some three times their monthly salary in Taiwan, before arriving. Upon arrival, a Philippine worker may see his or her income go down further due to other commissions, the official added. The CNA report said a fee of NT$1,800 (US$62) per month is deducted in the first year of employment, NT$1,700 per month in the second year and NT$1,500 per month in the third. It quoted the Philippine official as saying a monthly boarding fee of NT$4,500 is also charged for those working in Taiwan's factories. — LBG, GMA News