POEA news

SAYS POEA
Direct hires for overseas work should be cleared by DoLE

By Jerome Aning
Inquirer
Last updated 06:56pm (Mla time) 09/06/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- Foreign employers who want to hire Filipino workers without using the services of local recruitment agencies must obtain approval from the Department of Labor and Employment, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration governing board has ruled.

In a board resolution, the POEA board repealed a section of the rules covering the recruitment of land-based overseas workers, which allowed the registration with the POEA of “name hires” as an exemption from the ban on direct hiring.

“Name hires” refer to workers who obtain employment on their own without the participation of recruitment agencies.

Registration with the POEA gives overseas workers such benefits as insurance and health care, education and training, family welfare services as well as protection and assistance in their place of work.

The Labor Code prohibits an employer from hiring Filipino workers for overseas employment, except through the boards (the POEA) or entities authorized by the secretary of labor.

As an exemption, however, the POEA was allowed to process the employment contracts of overseas Filipino workers who were directly hired by members of the diplomatic corps and international organizations.

Foreign employers who are accredited with private recruitment agencies are not allowed to directly hire Filipino workers, according to POEA administrator Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz.

The new measure will cover directly hired OFWs like nurses.

Baldoz said the POEA would issue guidelines for the implementation of the resolution.