Government regulation on recruitment fees is stopping the country from ratifying the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 181 or the Private Employment Agencies Convention, according to a migrant advocate group.
In a forum on Monday, Blas F. Ople Policy Center head Susan Ople said the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) should first amend its policy on allowing recruitment agencies to charge at least one-month worth of salary to their applicants as recruitment fee before it could ratify ILC 181.
She said the policy is contrary to the provisions of the ILC 181 which states workers should not be made to pay any recruitment fees.
“Ratifying it (ILC 181) will be pointless, if our policies are not compliant to it,” Ople said.
The former labor undersecretary said the ratification of ILC 181 will promote the concept of “fair recruitment” wherein employers would have to pay the recruitment fees of their workers.
“Once ratified it will be become a national policy an all our bilateral agreements and employment contracts should reflect it,” Ople said.
ILO FAIR migration National Project Coordinator Hussein Macarambon said they are supporting the ILC 181 ratification since it will prevent the prevalence of “debt bondage” among aspiring overseas Filipino workers (OFW).
He also said it contains provision on social security of workers, harmonization of government policies, and transitioning from formal to informal work.
“It is the right time to discuss, convention 181 of ILO…if there is a business case for private recruitment agencies to operate under such conditions,” Macarambon said.
The proposal, however, is expected to face resistance from local recruitment agencies it will leave them less competitive compared to their counterparts in countries, which have not signed ILC 181.
They explained foreign employers would most likely opt to hire from recruiters in non-ILC 181 signatories states, which still charge recruitment fees to workers since it will be cheaper for them.