HONG KONG – There's been a recent increase in the number of OFWs lodging complaints of overcharging against employment agencies, according to the Consulate.
Vice Consul Fatima Quintin, head of the assistance to nationals section, told The SUN she's noticed the uptrend in recent weeks.
Quintin could not give an estimate of the number of complainants who go to her office for help each month, but she said that on average she was receiving 3 to 5 complaints on a weekday.
More complainants arrive on Sundays, when most domestic workers take their day off, the vice consul said. "Dumarami ang nagpa-file ng complaints ngayon. Ang nakikita ko ngayon, kahit yung mga matagal nang nandito at still working, nagku-complain sila maski sa mga previous agencies nila," said Quintin. (More of us are filing complaints now. From what I see, even those who have been here for a while and are still working are complaining because of their previous agencies.)
She said even complaints about overcharging that happened sometime back were still being accepted and addressed by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, the regulator of the employment agency industry.
She said the rise in complaints was a hint that the domestic workers are now more aware of their rights, with constant reminders they get from the Consulate and from the post-arrival orientation seminars.
And the claims vary in amounts. Quintin said said she knew of 3 cases where the workers were chasing their former agents for claims of under Php10,000 (about $214). "Sabi ko, why not? I mean, pera nyo naman iyan," Quintin said.
When The SUN asked labor attaché Nenita Garcia to confirm if there had been a rise in the number of complaints against overcharging, she said the volume was just normal. – Rappler.com
This story is republished with permission from The SUN-HK, a content partner of Rappler