Manila Middle East countries have been asked to sign an agreement that will allow Filipinos employed as housemaids in the region to be sent home during times of conflict and political crisis.
The matter was raised by the Philippines and other nations that routinely send labour to the region at the opening of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue II (ADD-II), a gathering of countries that send and receive overseas workers, in Manila.
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations have excluded household service workers (HSWs) from an initiative being developed that will allow all overseas workers to be sent home in the event of political instability, Philippine Labour Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz told the Business Mirror.
"GCC countries want to exclude women [from this policy] to bring home safely overseas workers in case of political instability," Baldoz said. "We believe that women HSWs are the most vulnerable [among overseas workers], that's why we want them to be included in the [labour] programme [being developed by the GCC]."
Arab Spring
The Philippines is eager to see the matter dealt with in a satisfactory manner after having had to pay employers and their respective governments before Filipino HSWs were allowed to leave prior to the expiry of their contracts during the Arab Spring, Baldoz said.
Employers in the countries concerned refused to cooperate with the Philippine government at the time, Baldoz said.
It is not known if the Philippine proposal will be adopted in the ADD communiqué.
Of the more than nine million Filipino migrant workers, about 90,000 to 100,000 are women HSWs.
Most of them are posted in Arab countries. The OFWs sent a total of $12 billion (Dh44 billion) to relatives back home last year.
