(Updated, 12:20 a.m. May 12, 2018) The Philippines and Kuwait on Friday signed the memorandum of agreement to protect overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in the Gulf state.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano and Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al Hamad Al Sabah signed the Agreement on the Employment of Domestic Workers on behalf of the Philippines and Kuwait.
Cayetano, along with Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, and special envoy to Kuwait Abdullah Mamao led the Philippine delegation.
The document was entitled “Agreement on Employment of Domestic Workers between the Government of the State of Kuwait and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines.”
The eight-page agreement consisted of six articles covering areas of cooperation, responsibilities of both nations, settlement of disputes, among other.
It will be in force for four years and renewed automatically, unless either party informs the other through diplomatic channels of its desire to terminate it, six months prior to the end of its validity.
The agreement provides for the creation of a joint committee, composed of senior officials from both governments.
It will follow up on the implementation of the agreement, conduct annual meetings and reviews, and make recommendations to resolve issues on Filipinos’ employment and health conditions.
Among the responsibilities of the Kuwaiti government are: to ensure that the employer shall provide the worker with food, housing, clothing, and registering him or her in the health insurance system.
Under the agreement, the employer will not be allowed to keep the worker’s passport and other personal identification.
Workers will be allowed to have and use cellphones and other means of communication with their families and government, and that employers are prohibited from confiscating these.
Employers who have records of contract violations or abusing workers will be disqualified from recruiting Filipino domestic workers. The Kuwaiti government will pursue appropriate legal action against such employers.
The employer will also open a bank account under the name of the worker and allow the worker to remit wages to the Philippines as provided for in the employment contract.
The Kuwaiti government will facilitate the repatriation of domestic workers upon the contract’s completion, or violation of the labor contract, and will provide legal assistance to workers concerning violations of the labor contract or existing domestic worker law. /vvp / jpv
