DOLE undercounting Taiwan OFW layoffs

By Kristine L. Alave
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:12:00 11/27/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- A migrant workers' group has accused the labor department of downplaying reports of retrenchments in Taiwan and of allegedly fudging the numbers of Filipino workers laid off by factories affected by the global economic crisis.

The Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM) said on Thursday they got reports from labor groups and shelters in Taiwan that more than 1,000 Filipino workers there have been laid off.

The APMM said Labor Secretary Marianito Roque "misreported" the situation when he said only 300 Filipinos lost their jobs in Taiwan because of the financial crunch.

Taiwan, with a large manufacturing and export-oriented base, is one of the major regional destinations for overseas Filipino workers. Around 90,000 Filipinos work in Taiwan as factory workers and domestic helpers, according to Department of Labor (DoLE) figures.

But the economy of the island-state has been experiencing some difficulty in recent months because of a reduced demand for its products from the United States and Japan, which are suffering from the effects of the worldwide recession.

The APMM said that the Hope Workers Center (HWC), a migrant non-governmental organization in Taiwan, reported that 781 have been terminated in Taoyuan alone.

"Migrante Taiwan reported that 1,083 have been laid off in the whole island. And both reported that there could be more especially in other industrial areas in Taichung and Kaohsiung," the APMM said in a statement.

"There are reports that manufacturers in the Nantzu Export Processing Zone in Kaohsiung would want to lay off 10 percent of their work force," the group said.

The DoLE public information office said the department could not comment on the accuracy of the report from the APMM as DoLE was still getting the official number of the laid-off workers from its Taiwan office.

It said DoLE was closely monitoring the situation in Taiwan and prepared contingency plans for the OFWs who have been left jobless.

The APMM has urged the labor department to ensure that the companies pay for the workers' air fare to Manila.

It said most of the returning Filipino workers had to pay for their own air fare as the companies refused to defray the travel costs. The companies promised to re-hire the workers when the recession is over, according to APMM.