DMW, solutions provider ink deal for OFW online contract verification in Dubai

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has signed an agreement with solutions provider DataFlow Group to launch a digital platform that would allow overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) here to submit, pay, and download verified employment contracts online.

The launch of the Online Employment Contract Verification System (OECVS) should come as relief for Dubai's estimated 500,000 OFWs, who need to wake up early to travel to the DMW's Migrant Workers Office (MWO) at the outskirts of the city and queue for contract verification. 

"Pormal na nating ginawang ganap 'yung pagpapatupad ng online contract verification para hindi na kailangang pumunta sa MWO sa Dubai ang ating mga kababayan na nagpapa-verify ng kanilang mga kontrata, lalo na 'yung may mga bagong employer na kailangang magsumite ng kanilang kontrata. So, nakapagpirmahan na," said Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac.

(We are now formally implementing online contract verification so that OFWs would not have to go to MWO in Dubai to have their contracts verified, especially those who have new employers who need to submit their contracts. So, we have signed the agreement.)

The DataFlow Group is a provider of Primary Source Verification (PSV) solutions, and background screening and immigration compliance services, according to the company's LinkedIn account.

The MWO in Dubai has done a pilot run for the online system for six months prior to the signing of the contract, which took place this month in Dubai.

According to government estimates, the OECVS has already processed over 30,000 contracts, saving nearly AED 2 million and about 137,500 hours for OFWs in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

Under the manual system, an OFW has to pay AED40 for contract verification.

Labor Attache John Rio Bautista, head of the Dubai and Northern Emirates MWO said the OECVS charges a convenience fee of AED21.50.

Global rollout eyed

Bautista said the online system will also be rolled out in other OFW destinations across the world.

"It's the first time that we had a pilot run of the online contract verification at the Dubai MWO, and this year, we will be rolling out in Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong and all of Middle East. The roll out will be by quarter," he said.

The system aims to streamline employment contract verification, reduce processing time, eliminate manual steps, and protect data privacy.

The DMW's digitalization initiatives also include the OFW Pass and Kumusta Kabayan App, offering a shared digital identity, real-time support, and secure access to government services for OFWs worldwide.

An OFW going on vacation back in the Philippines would need to have his or her employment contract verified with MWO, which checks details including salary to determine if he or she is being paid enough.

This needs to be complied with before the OFW can be issued an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC), which is needed to board a plane back to UAE at Philippine airports. The OEC also exempts the OFW from travel tax and terminal fees.

The MWO, along with the Philippine Consulate General (PCG), is at a residential area in Al Qusais, near Dubai's border with Sharjah, another emirate. — VDV, GMA Integrated News