The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) have signed a “Memorandum of Understanding” (MoU) on the deployment of private staff.
The MoU was signed by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. and Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III. Private staff are members of the household of Foreign Service Personnel (FSP) and overseas representatives of government agencies, who provide full-time domestic work under a private employer-employee relationship.
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While earlier all private staff endorsed by FSP and attachés to join them in their country of assignment went through the DFA only, the present MoU highlights: Private staff as “a special class of overseas Filipino workers [OFW]” and new procedures and mechanisms for their deployment.
With the signing of the MoU, the domestic staff have to go through the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration like other OFWs and private staff will be paid the minimum wage of the country of destination, or $600.00 per month — a 50-percent increase from the previous minimum wage requirement of $400.00 per month.
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While assuring humane working conditions and 15 days paid annual leave, the private staff will also be entitled to additional benefits like Overseas Workers Welfare Administration membership and insurance coverage including medical/hospitalization costs.
The private staff will be made aware of their rights and privileges by undergoing a pre-departure orientation seminar (PDOS) tailor-made for them by OWWA which highlights modules on their work contract, grievance mechanism and legal remedies in case of contract violations. (AW)
