Statement Against Clampdown of Non-documented migrants in Korea

KASAMMAKO strongly condemns the January 03, 2014 directive ofLabor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz of the Philippine’s Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to reduce the number of non-documented OFWs in South Korea which allows the South Korea’s Immigration Bureau to intensify clampdown on migrant workers. We detest this act of DOLE Secretary Baldoz for this put the lives of OFWS in South Korea in alarming and precarious situation and exacerbate unemployment problem of millions of Filipinos and dim the right and hope of families of OFWs for a decent and honorable life. Anonline media revealed,

 

The Department of Labor and Employment seeks to reduce the estimated 8,000 overstaying overseas Filipino workers in South Korea so that it could increase its deployment in the north Asian country through its Employment Permit System (EPS). DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said South Korea’s annual quota for foreign workers under its EPS is decided by its Foreign Workers Policy Committee with due consideration on the number of overstaying workers, as well as labor market trends, level of labor shortages, and economic condition. In 2014, Baldoz said she will aggressively address the issue of illegally staying EPS Filipino workers in South Korea.

 

This DOLE directive in collusion with Seoul POLO is a reprehensibleconspiracy against the interest and welfare of OFWs in South Korea. We know that this year 2014 is the year for evaluation and review of the EPS Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between labor sending countries including the Philippines and the Human Resource Development (HRD-Korea). This is the main reason why DOLE andSeoul Philippine Overseas Labor Office (Seoul-POLO) are compelledand have gone overboard in their attempts at reducing the number of non-documented OFWs in Korea.

 

Following HRD-Korea’s impositions and allowing itself to be driven by conditions for renewal of EPS MOU the DOLE, POEA and POLOhave not been exercising their sovereign negotiating power and bias for the rights and welfare of OFWs but subservient to South Korea’s government interest to benefit from docile and cheap labor of Filipino migrant workers. The increase of non-documented migrant workers in South Korea has been due to the flaws in the EPS that limits the term of employment of migrant workers to four (4) years and ten (10) months, transfer of work places is only three times in three years, delayed ofunpaid wages, unpaid overtime work, discrimination in work places and physical and psychological abuses of employers.

 

In the same press statement, it purports that Secretary Baldoz instructed Labor Attaché to South Korea Felicitas Bay to coordinate and link with the Human Resource Development Service and Ministry ofEmployment and Labor of South Korea on measures to ensure that Filipino workers under the EPS leave South Korea at the end of their contracts. This is a go signal to the Korea’s Immigration Bureau to arrest and deport non-documented OFWs, even if the privacy and human rights of migrant workers have been violated in the conduct of arrest, which have been likened to raiding criminal syndicates in houses, city streets, factories and other places where clampdown have been conducted.

 

We despise this manner of treatment of non-documented migrant workers. Migrant workers are not criminals. They are economic refugees and their rights are protected under the United Nations Convention for the Protection of the Rights of Migrants and their Families.

 

Landlessness, poverty situation, unemployment and low wages are the main causes of forced labor migration of more than 8 million Filipinos and exacerbated by the government officials corruption and inutility to institute social justice and national industrialization. The Philippine Labor Export Policy (LEP) has been the culprit of the modern day slavery of Filipino migrant workers.

 

KASMAMAKO urge the governments of the Republic of Korea and the Republic of the Philippines to do or address the following:

 

1.

Stop clampdown of non-documented migrant workers for clampdown violates the right to decent life and employment of migrant workers and their families as enshrined in the United Nations Convention for the Protection of the Rights of Migrantsand their Families.

 

2.

President B.S. Aquino III should urgently implement programs that will provide decent jobs for all Filipino workers including OFWs and stop forced labor migration through the Labor Export Policy carried by the government agencies such the DOLE, POEA and its subordinate agencies such as the POLO in South Korea and many other countries around the world.

 

3.

The Philippine government agencies should provide economic and welfare support for deported OFWs. Many deportedOFWs are still poor even after staying in Korea for four or five years.

 

4.

Pursue legalization of non-documented migrant workers. The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea should enact lawsthat will provide for amnesty of non-documented migrants workers who have worked in the country for a definite period of time and has proven their competency and skills in their particular occupations.

 

5.

Change EPS to Work Permit System. The Employment Permit System (EPS) as mechanism for importing cheap labor in South Korea has been found faulty in many aspects as experienced by migrant workers. The EPS limits the term of employment of migrant workers to four (4) years and ten (10) months, transfer of work places is only three times in three years, delayed of unpaid wages, unpaid overtime work, discrimination in work places and physical and psychological abuses of employers. A Work Permit System should replace the EPS. It should be one that allows a continuous employment of migrant workers based on their skills,transfer of work places should not be limited to three times. Protection of the rights and welfare of migrant workers must be ensured by the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs).

 

6.

Stop exploitation of migrant workers and grave violations of their human rights. These have taken numerous forms, including labor flexibilization, human trafficking, sexual abuse, harsh living and working conditions, social exclusion of migrants including marriage migrants, domestic workers, refugees, and child laborers. The abuse becomes even more tragic, and support and protection more acute among non-documented migrants.

 

 

FOR KASAMMAKO:

Mr. Pastor E. Galang, Jr.

Secretary Genera

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