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Dubai: The Philippine Consulate General is renewing warnings to Filipinos against falling for illegal recruiters' schemes in their desperation to work in the UAE, after 12 Filipinos reported they were brought here illegally.
The 12 were recruited in February last year, but did not sign any labour contract or register with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, as per law, before flying into the UAE on a visit visa.
They worked in the country for about six months for a catering company before the company changed their visas to employment visas.
On Friday, they appealed to the Philippine Overseas Labour Office (POLO) for help, saying they were mistreated, forced to work up to 21 hours without a day off and did not receive their wages.
Virginia Calvez, labour attache at the Philippine Consulate, told Gulf News the workers were now facing problems because they circumvented the employment system, which was supposed to protect them.
"Never, ever fly to the UAE on a visit visa when you are supposed to already have a job," she warned.
"Filipinos who want to work abroad have to be legally processed in the Philippines. We have a pre-departure orientation, where we (make sure they understand) their rights, and the terms and conditions of their contract," she said.
Three options
She said there was not much the consulate could do to help the workers, other than reporting the name of the recruiter to the Philippine government and providing legal assistance to the workers should they choose to take their employer to court.
The UAE Labour Ministry, with which the workers filed a complaint before going to POLO, had given the workers three options, either to go back to work, to leave the country and be banned for six months or to go to court.
One of the workers, Emilyn Maramba, told Gulf News the group had not made a decision whether to take their employer to court or whether to accept the Labour Ministry's decision to either go back to work or leave the country.
"But for me, I want to go to court to prove in front of the people that we are telling the truth and to prevent other people from becoming victims," she added.
Illegal recruitment is a continuing issue among the Filipino community. In 2007, the Philippine Consulate reported 6,164 labour complaints, of which a sizeable chunk was due to illegal recruitment.
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