The Working Pinoy

New Deal Ensures Fair Compensation for Japan-Bound OFWs

EQUAL PAY FOR ALL – Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) hired in Japan under the Philippine-Japan Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) are assured to get as much as their Japanese counterparts. This is according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

According to DOLE, the Japanese government gave their assurance that qualified Filipino applicants of the MOC would receive fair compensation.

“Aside from giving preferential priority to Filipino workers for the requirements of their industries, our workers are assured of better benefits,” Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said.

Ensuring Fair Treatment of Filipino Workers

Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Administrator Bernard P. Olalia noted that the exact amount of wages would be included in the standard employment contract (SEC) of the MOC.

Olalia said they are only waiting for the SEC from its Japanese counterpart. Nevertheless, he also emphasized that they will not approve the SEC if the stipulated amount of wage is not on par to that of Japanese workers.

Meanwhile, according to Bello, they are keen on deploying the first batch of OFWs under the MOC next month. Successful applicants for the MOC will be able to work in Japan either for a maximum of five years or indefinitely. The length of their stay will depend on their level of expertise in 14 specified skills.

These specified skills include those related to health care, food services, food manufacturing, construction, hospitality, building maintenance, electronics, agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture, parts and tooling, shipbuilding, and aviation.

Currently, Japan is looking to hire a total of 350,000 foreign workers in the following months. The Japanese government aims to do this by drawing up new agreements with various countries including the Philippines, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia, India, Mongolia, and Nepal.

This measure intends to help Japan address its worsening labor shortage due to the country’s aging population.

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