No pre-termination of job contracts yet, Baldoz says

by | Aug 31, 2010 | Headlines, National News

Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz on Saturday said there have yet been no pre-termination of employment contracts of their Filipino domestic helpers by Hongkong nationals.

“Except for one case that was reported to us, where her contract was properly terminated and she was paid the benefits due her, we have not received any report from our labor attaches of any pre-termination of employment contracts for any Filipino domestic helpers,” Baldoz
stressed in an interview over Radyo ng Bayan.

The Filipina involved has since contacted other recruitment agencies in Hongkong and opted to stay with a relative while waiting to be placed again in another job.

Baldoz said in case of any abrupt pre-termination of contracts or unilateral termination of employment by Hongkong employers, the labor and welfare offices based in Hongkong will be ready to process them and have them returned to the country.

“To our countrymen in Hongkong, let us just respect the emotions of the Hongkong nationals who are outraged by the hostage-taking and death of their fellow citizens. If we put ourselves in their shoes, we might do the same (stage protests to let off steam),” Baldoz said. (PCOO/PIA)

PGMA orders contingency plan for OFWs vs recession

by | Oct 9, 2008 | Headlines, National News

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo directed the Departments of Foreign Affairs, Labor and Employment, and the Commission on Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to draft a contingency plan to cushion the impact of possible recession in developed economies where there are Filipino workers.

The President issued the order at the launching of the Second Global Forum on Migration and Development Forum (GFMD2).

The President said that there is an urgent need “to work on all fronts to manage inflationary pressures and provide a safety net for those who were hardest hit by these global developments.”

The contingency plan for OFWs, which the President preferred to call “expatriates” is the government’s way of caring for them as well as honoring them as they play a critical role in the country’s economic and social stability.

Government is working hard to improve the country’s economy so that the day will come when Filipinos do not have to go abroad to earn a living but rather as a career choice, the president added. (PIA/Bohol)