No compensation for OFWs laid off in Taiwan

Hundreds of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have returned home after being laid off from Taiwan because of the global crisis were assured by the government that they would be given loans for livelihood programs, as well as legal assistance and referrals, during an orientation conducted by the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration. But an OWWA official remained evasive when asked about what the government could do about the loans OFWs incurred, their unpaid salaries, and the expenses for their airfare.

BY RONALYN OLEA AND ANGIE DE LARA
MIGRANT WATCH
Bulatlat

Hundreds of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have returned home after being laid off from Taiwan because of the global crisis were assured by the government that they would be given loans for livelihood programs, as well as legal assistance and referrals, during an orientation conducted by the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration. But an OWWA official remained evasive when asked about what the government could do about the loans OFWs incurred, their unpaid salaries, and the expenses for their airfare.

According to Migrante most of the OFWs were retrenched from companies in manufacturing, textile, electronics, metalworks, among others. The group expects that the situation will even get worse next year.

Taiwan’s Minister Jennifer Wang of Taiwan’s Council of Labor Affairs disclosed that Taiwan will terminate 50,000 migrant workers next year and 11,550 Filipino workers could be affected.


OFWs from Taiwan Mary May Aquino and Christina de Borja. (Photo by Angie de Lara)

In an interview, Mary May Aquino, one of the retrenched OFWs from Taiwan said the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) promised to give them jobs but offered no financial assistance.

On December 5, the OWWA held a dialogue with the retrenched OFWs.

Aquino said she and other OFWs from Taiwan could not pay the loans they incurred before leaving for Taiwan. She said the lending agency is asking for a 1.53 percent monthly interest rate instead of the 1.26 to 1.29 percent rate earlier agreed upon.

“Saan po namin kukunin ang ganoon kalaking halaga eh kulang nga po ang binigay sa amin ng kompanya?” (Where would we get such big amount considering that the company gave us so little?)

Garry Martinez, chairperson of Migrante International, said OFWs want the government to intervene by assisting them in negotiating with lending companies.

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