Labor department respects Hong Kong recruiters' hiring freeze

MANILA -- The Labor department said Thursday that it will respect the decision of the Society of Hong Kong Accredited Recruiters of the Philippines (Sharp) to stop the deployment of household service workers (HSWs) bound for Hong Kong.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz, they will not take any actions against Sharp's member agencies since they are acting within their rights.

"We will respect the private and voluntary business decision of the member agencies to stop the deployment of HSWs bound for Hong Kong," said Baldoz.

Aside from this, she also said they will still study the proposal of Sharp and come out with the resolution "at the soonest time possible."

"The study will include consultations with all stakeholders namely, Philippine agencies deploying to Hong Kong, Hong Kong placement agencies, NGOs, and the Hong Kong government," said Baldoz.

On Wednesday, the Sharp announced its self-imposed moratorium on the deployment of Filipino HSWs to Hong Kong.

Sharp said the decision was anchored on the continued lack of action by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) on their June 28, 2012 plea to reconsider its policy of disallowing the collection of a placement fee equivalent to a one-month salary from HSW-applicants to Hong Kong.

But for her part, Baldoz said the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) will not back down from their implementation of the "no placement fee" policy for domestic workers.

"We will continue to strictly enforce the Household Reform Package, which includes the 'no placement policy' for all household service workers," said Baldoz.

To note, the Household Service Workers Reform Package of 2006 prohibit the collection of placement fees among HSWs set to be deployed abroad. (HDT/Sunnex)