Overseas Filipino workers (OFW) who tend to violate the terms of their employment contract while “job hopping” abroad have risen in numbers in several countries recently, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) reported on Thursday.
POEA Administrator Bernard P. Olalia said they observed the trend in Poland and Canada, Taiwan, and countries where “third-country” recruitment is prevalent.
“It has come to this administration’s attention that there are OFWs who leave their places of work without their employers’ permission and proceed to other neighboring states to look for new employment,” Olalia said in POEA Advisory 113, Series of 2021.
He warned the illegal activity could damage the reputation of OFWs among foreign employers.
It could also leave the erring OFWs vulnerable to abuse from their new employers.
“Workers are reminded that those who resort to absconding from their employment sponsors become irregularly documented workers. Thus, they may fall prey to unscrupulous individuals who can take advantage of their vulnerable situation,” Olalia said.
The POEA chief also reminded that any form of “unjustified breach of the employment contract” by employers and workers, will be subjected to administrative sanctions.
“This administration hereby reminds all OFWs to fulfill the obligations as contained in their employment contracts. They are reminded to abide by their contracts’ terms and conditions and their companies’ rules and regulations,” Olalia said.
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The POEA is worried that its cartel of licensed agents will be bypassed if workers change employers. In most western countries workers have the legal right to change employers if they receive a better offer. Filipino workers should have the freedom to apply to overseas jobs directly, without obtaining approval and a permit from the POEA. When overseas they can legally transfer employers. Breaches of employment contracts can be enforced in the country they are working in – the POEA does not have jurisdiction over the employment regulations of other countries. Time to abolish the POEA and other useless Philippine Government Agencies that are destroying the Filipino economy.
Bruce Porteous