Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III on Saturday said the Philippine government is now in the process of finalizing a bilateral labor agreement with Russia.
“We are confident that the BLA with Moscow will soon be finalized in line with our commitment to provide protection and support for overseas Filipino workers as we continue to see increasing demand for our workers in that part of the world,” Bello said.
He said both countries are keen on signing the labor accord amid a burgeoning requirement for skilled and semi-skilled workers in Russia.
Moscow recently amended a law relating to local employment of local skilled workers in order to accommodate foreign workers.
In September last year, Bello tapped the department’s labor office in Berlin to extend its services to cover OFWs in Russia and to actively pursue a BLA with Moscow.
Meanwhile, at least 1,000 OFWs in Russia, mostly female household service workers, have registered for membership with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Bello said.
“We are elated by their decision to register with OWWA as members, and as such will now allow them to have insurance coverage. Their membership will also enable them to access free skills and entrepreneurship training, not to mention scholarship for their children, return and reintegration preparedness and other programs,” he said.
The Philippine Embassy in Moscow recently held an outreach program intended to entice OFWs to register or renew their respective membership with OWWA.
In a report by Labor Attaché Delmer Cruz, majority of OFWs in Russia have transferred directly from Hong Kong and Dubai.
The Philippine Embassy is scheduled to conduct another outreach mission for OFWs next month.