THE Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) reminded all recruitment agencies and foreign employers on Thursday, April 1, to comply with the guidelines it has set with the host country.
The reminder came on the heels of the resumption of household service workers (HSW) deployment to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In a statement, the POEA said all recruiters and foreign employers must observe provisions under the Memorandum of Understanding and Labor Cooperation signed by the Philippine and UAE governments.
"Recruitment agencies, principals and direct employers found violating the provisions of the memorandum circular and other related issuance shall be subject to administrative sanctions and may be suspended or disqualified to recruit, deploy, and employ Filipino domestic workers," said the POEA.
Under Memorandum Circular 6-2021, the POEA has specified the obligations of licensed Philippine recruitment agencies (PRAs) and principals to ensure that the recruitment and deployment of Filipino HSWs will be in accordance with the existing laws, procedure, guidelines and regulations of the Philippines and UAE.
As such, the POEA stressed that PRAs and the principals must ensure that the workers they hire have the qualifications required of the job, physically and mentally fit, with legal employment documents, and proper orientation prior to departure.
It also noted that workers must have the Unified Domestic Labor Contract with the Addendum duly signed by both parties and verified by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO).
The PRAs and principals, meanwhile, must uphold the rights of the domestic worker and extend them legal protection and assistance and endeavor an amicable settlement in case of dispute with the employer.
Finally, the POEA said they must monitor the status or conditions of the deployed and hired workers, with the PRAs mandated to submit to the POEA Welfare Employment Office quarterly report, as well as immediate reporting through the OFW Welfare Monitoring System (OWMS) any significant incident that need direct action and response.
It was back in March 31 when HSW deployment to UAE resumed.
The resumption comes seven years since it was suspended in 2014. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)