Korea seen hiring 5,000 OFWs in next 10 months

MANILA, Philippines - Up to 5,000 Filipino workers are expected to be hired by Korean companies in the next 10 months, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said on Tuesday. In a statement, the DOLE said this would be made possible by the recent renewal of a memorandum of understanding between the Philippines and South Korea to adopt an Employment Permit System (EPS). Philippine Labor Secretary Marianito D. Roque and Korean Labor Minister Lee Younghee signed the MOU on May 30, a few days before President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo went to Seoul on an official visit last week. The EPS is a government-to-government recruitment system implemented by both countries since 2004. It was launched to correct the exorbitant mobilization costs charged by recruitment companies and their brokers in South Korea. Under the EPS, Korean employers could only get foreign workers through the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) – the only government agency authorized to implement the scheme in the Philippines. South Korea also has EPS agreements with Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Cambodia, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan. A ‘lopsided’ deal However, the EPS has been criticized by both migrant groups and manpower agencies. Migrante International has described the EPS as a disadvantageous arrangement for Filipino workers because of rampant cases of unfair labor practices, lack of welfare protection, payroll deductions for food and lodging, and high rate of runaways from employers. Recruitment consultant Emmanuel Geslani also said the agreement favors Korean employers and violates the rights of Filipino workers. He said more than 17,000 Filipino workers have been sent to Korea through the EPS and up to 5,000 workers have returned to the Philippines even before their three-year contracts expired. Geslani added that under the EPS, deployment to Korea fell by 40 percent in 2007 due to high numbers of runaways and complaints filed with the Philippine Overseas Labor Office. Moreover, he said that ever since the POEA took over the deployment of workers to Korea, the private sector has been deprived of legitimate business in sending trainee workers there. The recruitment consultant noted that under the EPS agreement, the cost of the Korean Language Test would be reduced from $30 USD or more than P1,400 to $17 or about P800. However, this will be done in exchange for charging the cost of food and accommodation to the workers. Ironed out POEA chief Jennifer Manalili previously said the government was “renegotiating" some provisions in the EPS agreement. On Monday, the DOLE said that under the new EPS, the minimum standards set by the Philippine government, such as free accommodation, would be ensured through the POEA’s authority to review the contract offers of employers. These contract reviews will minimize the pre-departure cancellation of employment contracts and pre-termination of existing ones by disqualifying employers as well as workers with "derogatory records," according to DOLE. In addition, Filipino workers shall continue to enjoy pension coverage in accordance with the National Pension Law. They shall also be entitled to equal treatment with that of Korean workers, including minimum wage and insurance protection. Another agreement Aside from the EPS, a memorandum of understanding on Labor and Manpower Development was also signed last May 30 between the two countries. Among other things, it shall provide for the training of workers on-site to “better prepare" them for their eventual return to the Philippines. The DOLE said there will also be an exchange of trainers and experts, and development of curricula to improve vocational education and training. As of May 2008, a total of 20,476 Filipino workers have been deployed to South Korea. They ranked first among foreign workers in terms of ability to adapt to Korean society and second in communication skills, a recent survey conducted by the Korean Labor Ministry said. - GMANews.TV