The Philippines pushed for the continued deferment of Saudi Arabia's "Unified Contract" system of employment at the end of the two-day Third Meeting of the Philippines-Saudi Arabia Joint Commission, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced belatedly.
With the unified contract that Saudi Arabia wants for all its foreign workers, it is feared that overseas Filipino workers (OFW) would lose their competitive edge.
The system means that all foreigners in a certain work category receive the same pay and other perks regardless of nationality.
Tens of thousands of Filipinos work in Saudi Arabia, generally getting better terms and perks than most of their Asian neighbors, particularly those domestic helpers and construction hands.
Saudi Arabia hosts the largest number of Filipino workers in the region and is currently the Philippines' top trading partner in the Middle East.
"Both parties recognized the need for more regular dialogue and cooperation in labor-related issues and concerns through a mutually acceptable mechanism," the DFA said.
During the meeting October 14 and 15, the Philippines also pushed for the early conclusion of a Transfer of Sentenced Persons Agreement, an agenda which brings to mind the recent case of 27-year old Zamboanga native Jenifer Bidoya, who was executed in Jeddah this week for the murder of a Saudi Arabian man.
Bidoya's body was buried within hours of his execution last week in a Saudi Arabian gravesite designated for executed criminals. Its exhumation for repatriation to his family in Mindanao is disallowed under Islamic laws.
DFA, however, continues to press for his remains to be brought home to his family, citing socio-religious beliefs of Filipinos.
Non-governmental organizations, including Migrante International, said government should have done more for Bidoya.
This week, Bidoya's father, Geremias, flew to Manila to claim his son's P100,000 insurance benefit and P20,000 burial money.
The Philippines said it welcomed Saudi Arabia's interest in investing in the agricultural and fisheries sector and proposed the early conclusion of a Memorandum of Agreement that would be beneficial to both countries, the DFA announced.
Measures to expand trade and investment were also discussed, which includes technical cooperation to help develop Islamic banking in
the Philippines. - PNA
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Topic: Saudi Arabia's "Unified Contract" System of Employment (Read 1653 times)