These are tough times for Filipino workers—even as they are fortunate enough to land jobs in the first place.
For instance, our overseas workers in Kuwait have an uncertain future. No less than the President has exhorted them to leave that country and come home or find work elsewhere. Those looking to find jobs in Kuwait can no longer pursue that direction given the deployment ban.
These are the workers who have weighed the costs and benefits of leaving home and decided to leave anyway, notwithstanding the risks. It is unlikely they elected to be counted among OFWs if they had their way—the lack of employment opportunities here pushed them to explore these options.
Those based here face a dearth of options as well. A promised end to the practice of contractualization has not happened.
Still, there are no guarantees that even those enjoying regular employment status will get what is due them. Many employers get away with withholding benefits or not paying their workers the amount owed them and on time. Benefits are dependent on whether businesses are doing well or whether the owners are genuinely compassionate.
Many times, aggrieved employees are discouraged from bringing their case to the regulatory authorities for the inefficiency and bureaucratic red tape that attend these agencies. As a result, the erring employers get away with their deeds.
Finally, in getting to and from their workplaces, workers suffer the consequences of bad urban planning given the sorry state of public transportation and traffic.
Ideally, people get jobs to respond to their basic needs and provide for their families, but also to feel a sense of worth at contributing to something bigger and using their skills to reach their potential.
It’s Labor Day, and aside from the usual token gestures, including a fitting First of May editorial, it’s time government and business considered measures to make workers feel less of cheap labor and more of the human capital that they truly are.