TUCP eyes tripartite committee to monitor influx of foreign workers

By TUCP-NAGKAISA
April 14, 2015

QUEZON CITY – The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa (TUCP-Nagkaisa) is urging the Philippine government to create tripartite committee to monitor the unabated influx of illegal migrant workers in the country.

The biggest labor group in the country says the proposed committee is to ensure migrant workers go through the legal process by complying with the requirements of the Alien Employment Permit (AEP) at the same time that we wanted them covered by labor standards, safe working conditions, and lawful wages and benefits.

The committee is made up of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Bureau of Immigration (BI), the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), civil society, trade unions, and various industry federations.

“The influx of migrant workers is a growing phenomenon in the country today. It is developing very fast that it immediately needs government oversight to ensure that labor laws and standards are in place and are working to make sure there are no abuses and exploitations taking place,” explained TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay.

Last year, Senator Mirriam Defensor-Santiago and TUCP Party-list Rep. Raymond Santiago filed separate resolutions in the Senate and in the House of Representatives calling for an investigation of reported influx of illegal migrant workers into the country, particularly the alleged three thousand (3,000) unregistered and undocumented Chinese workers who were deployed in Bataan and Batangas working in certain construction companies.