DEPARMENT of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac warned brokers who send seasonal Pinoy workers to South Korea.
Cacdac said that they are coordinating with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to focus on illegal recruitment and put an end to the brokering system.
The secretary stressed that the DMW’s stricter measures are due to numerous reports of workers being charged between P30-K and P100-K which they are required to pay through salary deductions.
It can be remembered that last year, Sec. Cacdac announced his intention for the processing of seasonal workers in South Korea to go through the DMW.
The announcement came after receiving complaints about unpaid wages and the working conditions of these workers.
Back then, local governments only processed seasonal workers.
The local government arrangements in Korea allowed for the deployment of these workers even if they hadn’t gone through the DMW.
Due to DMW’s coordination with various government agencies, the department has recorded the deployment of 5,000 seasonal workers to South Korea.
“We have deployed 5,000 approved with the deployment of 5,000 who went through the DMW. Which means we check their contracts, ensure their insurance arrangement, medical insurance and other types of insurance type of arrangement for workers and also if they are members of OWWA,” said Sec. Hans Leo Cacdac, DMW.
Cacdac also said – that the deployment of seasonal workers in South Korea has a bilateral agreement with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and they have an employment permit system in National to National or Government-to-Government arrangements.
He added that they continue to maintain communication with the Korean Government.
“We are currently talking to the Korean Government along these lines, the dynamic is the workers at the EPS Factory and now the guardians are the ministry of labor. The Ministry of Labor is also talking there with the seasonal workers farm that we talk to other ministries, is talking to a Ministry of Justice,” he added.
