POEA’S Olalia hails Qatar’s abolition of ‘kafala’ system

THE Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) on Monday said it sees fewer distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWS) in Qatar after the Middle East country passed a landmark legislation dismantling its so-called kafala system.

POEA Administrator Bernard P. Olalia said they welcome the development since it will ease the “labor mobility” OFWS and other migrant workers in Qatar.

“Once the kafala system is abolished, our OFWS will no longer have hard time going home since they will have an easier time getting their exit clearance,” Olalia told the Businessmirror in a text message.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) reported the Qatari government adopted a new law on Sunday abolishing the kafala sponsorship system by allowing migrant workers to change jobs before the end of their contract without obtaining a “No Objection Certificate” from their employers, as well as the “removal” of their exit permit requirement.

Wage reform

THE labor arm of the United

Nations also said Qatar passed additional legislation setting the 1,000 Qatari-riyals (QAR) minimum wage, which will apply to all nationalities and sector within its jurisdiction once it takes effect.

“The adoption of these laws supports the transition towards a more skilled and productive work force, which is a key goal in Qatar’s National Vision 2030,” ILO said.

Olalia said the new minimum wage compel foreign employers to honor wage agreements stated in the employment contract of OFWS. ILO also noted the new measures will put Qatar in a better position in recovering from the economic impact of Covid-19.

Top destination

QATAR is one of the top 10 destination for OFWS. Based from the latest deployment data of POEA, 122,619 OFWS were deployed there in 2017.

There were, however, frequent reported abuses allegedly committed by employers against foreign workers.

Last month, DOLE reported it repatriated over 3,300 distressed and displaced OFWS from Qatar.