Only 139 of over 1,000 private employment agencies registered with the Malaysian government are accredited by the Philippines government, said local labour stakeholders.
This strict approach by the Philippines government in allowing their citizens to be recruited by foreign agencies should be emulated by Malaysia, they said.
National Association of Human Resources president Zarina Ismail said the low rate of Philippine worker abuse in Malaysia was due to their country’s stringent processes.
She explained that Malaysian employment agencies had to be accredited with the Philippines Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) which strictly engages only agencies registered with their respective governments.
The POEA is a government agency under the Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers.
“Accreditation with POEA is not easy and successful agencies will adhere to all the rules imposed for fear of being blacklisted,” explained Zarina, adding that Malaysia should apply the same standards.
Responding to news of over 1,000 Malaysians who were lured into participating in a ‘love scam’ in Myanmar, Zarina urged the government to treat recruitment scams seriously and improve the foreign recruitment process for Malaysians.
The scam, reported in The Star last week, was brought to light by a Malaysian whose family paid an RM70,000 ransom for him to be released.
The ‘love scam’ lured the 20-year-old to Myanmar with the promise of an RM4,000 job designed to prey on Chinese living in the US. He stopped cooperating and was physically abused.
Be alert, verify the offer
Zarina said such scams were common in many countries and advised Malaysians looking for employment abroad to be more alert and not to be drawn into outlandish job offers.
“Get the full details of the employer because it is your right to know who your employer is and call them to verify the job offer.
“Job seekers could also contact the embassy of the country from which the job was being offered to verify the existence of the company and the job availability,” she advised.
Meanwhile, she urged job seekers to register with local private employment agencies registered with the Human Resources Ministry to assist with job placements overseas.
Philippine labour practices
Zarina said because the Philippines is so strict, it is rare to come across cases of Philippine citizens being confined to their workplaces, having their passports withheld, or even physically abused.
Comparing labour rights abuses, she said Philippine workers had the freedom to take one day off every week and enjoyed higher wages and better working hours while other nationals in this sector were frequently overworked.
Holding the Philippines’ labour recruitment processes in high esteem, Zarina said “other nationalities have even been fatally abused with no one held responsible for their deaths”.
She attributed this track record to the Philippines government’s active role in the recruitment process of its citizens with a strict practice of expulsion without redemption for irresponsible recruitment agencies.
“All this can be achieved without a bilateral agreement with Malaysia.
“They placed full responsibility for the safety and welfare of every worker on the respective recruitment agency sending workers from the Philippines and their counterparts in the receiving countries.
Joining Zarina in lauding the Philippines, Labour Law Reform Coalition co-chairperson Gopal Kishnam said Malaysians were being dragged through the same web of recruitment lies as what happened to migrants coming here.
Pointing out that other countries were also emulating the Philippines’ framework, Gopal said Indonesia’s latest version of the memorandum of understanding with Malaysia for the protection of domestic workers seeking employment here, had similarities with the new recruitment framework.
“The One Channel System Indonesia introduced ensures every single recruitment is approved by the embassy even before visa application or before the worker can depart their homes.
“Like the Philippines, the responsibility for the welfare of the workers was placed on agencies from both countries and their respective employers.
“The embassy will know who to hold responsible if the worker was abused in any way,” he said.
Gopal said Malaysia should emulate the Philippines’ method of safeguarding its citizens against exploitation.
However, strict implementation of regulations with no room for corruption was also equally important, he added. - Mkini
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