14 Kiwi firms throwing retrenched OFWs lifeline

Philippine Ambassador to New Zealand Kira Azucena clarified that only 361 and not 750 Filipino construction workers lost their jobs when the said firm stopped operations on 20 December 2023

A total of 14 firms in the construction industry in New Zealand have signified interest in absorbing the more than 300 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) retrenched by the ELE Group of Companies in late December last year.

This was bared by Philippine Ambassador to New Zealand Kira Azucena on Thursday during an interview by DAILY TRIBUNE’s digital show Usapang OFW.

Ambassador Azucena said within the first week that ELE Group of Companies shut its doors, 14 companies reached out to them to hire those who were retrenched, as these companies admire the Filipino workforce’s reputation.

“One of the priorities of the Philippine Embassy that we are focusing on is to search for new employers for our affected fellowmen,” she said. “Under New Zealand law, migrant workers holding working visas who lost jobs can still look for another employer.”

“They are allowed to look for a new one with a standard timeframe of three months and process their new working visas called ‘variate.’ It means they will be given a new working visa with a new name of employer on it,” she added.

She said the companies have described OFWs as “hardworking, trustworthy and diligent” and that “New Zealand companies have high trust and confidence in our workers.”

She clarified that only 361 and not 750 Filipino construction workers lost their jobs when the said firm stopped operations on 20 December 2023, as a New Zealand-based newspaper reported.

A day after the announced retrenchment, the Philippine Embassy released an advisory asking the affected Filipinos to register so they can get their benefits and be directed toward those 14 firms that wanted to hire them.

She said the embassy ensured that the OFWs would get the benefits and entitlements they deserve under New Zealand and Philippine laws.

The New Zealand Herald reported in December that “members of the Filipino community are in shock after 750 construction workers were laid off following the collapse of national construction labor force business ELE.”

However, based on the confirmation of New Zealand’s Immigration, only 361 Filipinos were listed as working in the shuttered company, according to Ambassador Azucena.

About the one-time financial assistance of NZ$1,050 (roughly P38,000), Azucena said 318 laidoff workers have already received assistance through bank transfers as of 18 January 2024.

The Philippine Embassy in New Zealand, she said, secured a commitment from NZ Immigration that they will expedite the processing of the documents of the Filipinos to be rehired.