AMMAN, Jordan. – A new labor law recognizing the value of
migrant workers in Jordan was recently passed by the country’s legislature,
promising protection to the estimated 25,000 to 30,000 overseas Filipino workers
(OFWs) working in the kingdom, Philippine embassy officials said.
Jeffrey Salik, third secretary and vice consul of the
Philippine embassy in Jordan, said the law was passed about a month ago, but the
details are not yet known because the law is in Arabic and still being
translated into English. "At the very least, they can demand for proper
compensation, for getting the minimum wage," Salik said.
He said the law could also be used by OFWs and other migrant
workers to shield them from possible abuses by their Jordanian employers. The
minimum wage in Jordan is about 170 Jordanian dinar a month or about $270 but
some OFWs get less than this.
Rico Garcia, Philippine embassy attaché, said the advantage
of this law is that it would now give Filipino migrant workers protection, in
contrast to when they were not previously recognized. Garcia said the law is
expected to be implemented fully after the Ramadan.
Salik said the Jordanian government, under instructions from
King Abdullah, has announced that it will also draft a law against human
trafficking. "The king, who is Western educated, is very keen in protecting the
image of Jordan, that it is not a haven of human traffickers."
Salik said the Jordanian government has opened a Human Rights
Office to highlight its heightened commitment to human rights.
The Philippines actually imposed a deployment ban on
housemaids to Jordan last January but the ban continues to be breached. Salik
said the Jordanian government continues to issue residency and work permits to
OFWs who meet their requirements despite the ban while recruiters are using Hong
Kong, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur as jumpoff points for housemaids going to Jordan.
Salik said OFWs are actually in demand because of the command
of English and varied skills.
The Commission on Filipinos Overseas said that as of December
2007, there were 22,464 OFWs in Jordan; 108 of whom are permanent residents,
14,356 temporary, and 8,000 irregular.
But Philippine Ambassador to Jordan Julius Torres and Salik
said they estimate that 7,000 additional OFWs have gotten around the ban and
entered Jordan since January.
From March to August of this year, more than 200 distressed OFWs have been
repatriated by the embassy mainly because of maltreament and low wages. –
Dennis Gadil
