Agencies Hiring Housemaids Told To Follow Rules

By Author: Maid Agency
Total Articles: 34
Comment this article

A crucial message was communicated by the new Philippine labor diplomat to more than 80 overseas placement agencies in charge of employing housemaids to Dubai and the northern emirates. The message was to pay and behave towards your Filipino maids in the right manner or run the risk of losing their services.
Labor attaché Delmer Cruz met with agents of foreign placement agencies (FPAs) to discuss matters over labor contracts particularly paying the minimum salary of US$400 (Dh1500) and reports of ill treatment by employers to house helpers.
The meeting was held to have a discussion between the agencies and the Labor attaché so that the agencies would know that they the Labor attaché are initiating these changes as part of orders by the Philippine labor secretary to firmly carry out policy reforms domestic home workers which were implemented in 2006.
Cruz retold the FPAs that it was their duty to make certain that employers were ready to pay the correct salary or they will not be able to hire Filipino maids in the future. Cruz said that they regularly send reports to the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) in Manila of housemaid agencies in Dubai of many breaches and could have their corresponding agencies in Manila run the risk of permanent blacklisting.
They had set up a new watch list specifying the credentials of more than 80 agencies for maids in Dubai. Of these, 45 did not follow the regulations and had instances of fugitive maids and were graded according to the seriousness of infringements. 15 agency for maids in Dubai that have the most fugitive maids are closely being watched.
Many of the maids who protested against failure of payment of salaries, unfair working hours and not being treated properly have sought shelter at the Filipino Workers Resource Centre which is a house run by Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO).
Cruz said that they will perform random checks on housemaids who are employed to ensure that their entitlements and wellbeing are being protected. He also made clear that he was not creating new rules and regulations but just firmly implementing the existing rules for the welfare of housemaids in the UAE.
Foreign placement agencies present at the occasion appreciated the Philippine Overseas Labor Office’s move.