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MECO Should Take
Care of Ramil Sanchez's Repatriation and
Ensure That the Conditions of the Workers at FPC be improved
The Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) should take
care of Ramil Sanchez's repatriation expenses of NT$11,000
and make sure that the conditions of the workers at Formosa
Plastics Corporation (FPC) be improved. MECO has not heeded
Ramil¡¦s and the workers complaints at FPC even
before there was a strike held there on July 14-15, 2005.
Lately, MECO has been exposed of giving P30 million to the
campaign fund of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2003.
Likewise it was revealed that they gave 12.5 million pesos
initial three-month payment to Venable, a US lobby firm last
year. But it does not give a single cent to migrant workers
who are in need especially if their rights are not taken cared
off by MECO itself.
Ramil who was caught by the police last Feb. 5 was one of
among a great number of workers who had to shell out P110,000
as placement fee to JEJ International Manpower Service. He
still owes P45,000 up to this day to pay for that fee. More
than 70 Filipino migrants filed a complaint in POEA against
this unjust fee which resulted in the sending home of two
Filipino workers which MECO could not prevent. Up to now the
complaint has not been acted upon.
The workers at FPC had to take matters into their own hands
when they organized a two-day strike last July. While this
resulted in some gains to the workers, problems still continue
to hound the workers at FPC which has resulted in mass resignations
and the running away of 20 workers since then.
These include the following:
- The workers are still given only a monthly allowance
and are still not allowed to remit their own money to their
loved ones. Even if this was requested by MECO to the head
of the CLA when they visited the FPC plant last Dec. 9,
2005. The legality of such a mode of payment has not yet
been challenged vigorously by MECO even if it supposedly
is against the Financial Management of Foreign Workers proposed
by the CLA a few years ago but is being implemented in FPC.
- MECO has not complained to the POEA when it lifted the
ban on Taiwanese brokers ATV and Yang Luck in hiring Filipino
workers even if a criminal case is pending on two personnel
of ATV for beating up Gil Lebria last August 2.
- Edwindo Porras, Rommel Placido and Joseph Dimapi were
forced to act as guarantors for two Filipinos who went home
for vacation but never came back. As a result of this, Joseph¡¦s
pay had to be deducted NT$12,000 by CTCI, his actual employer
for the cost of the plane ticket for one of those who went
home. Most probably, Edwindo and Rommel¡¦s
pay will likewise be cut for the same reason.
- Three workers namely Jimymar Mauhay, Norberto Constacio
and Menard Goyo who have resigned on January 15 and 20 respectively
have not been allowed by FPC to go home.
- The question also of the legality of subcontracting has
not been raised by MECO. FPC has admitted that all of its
contractors have to apply for the recruitment of foreign
workers under its company¡¦s name, as its contractors
are not qualified to hire foreign workers.
MECO has been honest in saying that while it supposedly
would want to protect the rights of the workers in FPC it
does not want to jeopardize the hiring of Filipino workers
by said company. In practice, the latter seems more important
for MECO than the former.
At the same time, MECO should make sure that the five problems
listed above should be dealt with immediately. This is more
so, given the Philipp ine Supreme Court¡¦s ruling
on October 14, 2005 against FPC and JSS Indochina Corporation
for breach of contract, illegal dismissal, payment of salaries,
refund of placement fee among others.
It is scandalous to learn that while MECO can give millions
of its money to the President¡¦s campaign and
other funds, it does not give a damn in doling out any financial
help to the migrants and in upholding their rights and welfare.
Ensure that Filipino workers in FPC are given their full
salary and that they be given the right to remit their earnings
to their families!
Resume the ban on ATV and Yang Luck brokers until the criminal
case has been resolved and the legality of subcontracting
is determined fully!
Stop the practice of forcing Filipinos to be guarantors for
those willing to take a vacation leave to the Philippines!
Return the NT$12,000 deducted from Joseph Dimapi!
Let the three workers who have resigned from
FPC go back home immediately!
Give justice to the beaten up workers in FPC
and improve the labor conditions there!
Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants
Migrante Sectoral Party - Taiwan Chapter
9 February 2006
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