Philippine Forum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
23 June 2011

Reference: National Alliance for Filipino Concerns National Office
Contact Info: (718) 5658862, info@nafconusa.org

NAFCON Celebrates Historic Passage of Int’l Standards for Domestic Workers by UN ILO

The National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON-US) celebrates the historic adoption of the Convention on Domestic Workers (2011) by United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO). This set of international standards aimed at improving the working conditions of tens of millions of domestic workers worldwide was adopted by ILO, the only agency of the UN that brings together representatives of governments, employers and workers on June 16th.

“The adoption of the Convention on Domestic Workers is of particular importance to the Filipino community because there are over 30,000 Filipinas and Filipino men employed as domestic and home care workers in the United States. Many of them receive low wages and lack benefits. They are also expected to work long hours, perform and complete unreasonable range of tasks, and are subject to physical and emotional abuse by their employers. For too long they have not been recognized as real workers which made them prone to abuses and exploitation by their employers.” stated Fr. Ben Alforque, President of NAFCON.

As a result of the new ILO standards an estimated 53 to 100 million domestic workers worldwide (Filipinos and non-Filipinos) are now entitled to have the same basic labor rights as other workers. This would mean “reasonable hours of work, weekly rest of at least 24 consecutive hours, a limit on in-kind payment, clear information on terms and conditions of employment, as well as respect for fundamental principles and rights at work including among others freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining,” as stated by the ILO.

“With the new standards adopted by the ILO, we hope the work conditions domestic workers face will improve but there are more steps to take and more struggles to face. We do not expect for these standards to be enacted immediately. Education should follow. The domestic workers — even if their nature of work is mostly isolated — must come together, must organize, must know their rights and continue to learn to fight for them,” continued Fr. Alforque.

Ultimately, for the Filipino community, NAFCON identifies the Philippine government’s Labor Export Policy (LEP) — the selling of our people’s cheap labor to other countries – as a deeper issue behind the suffering of Filipino migrants. Thus NAFCON continues to demand that national industries be built and genuine agrarian reform be implemented by the Philippine government to generate jobs at home so there will be no need to export our people abroad. “As long as there is LEP, our domestic workers, and all Filipino migrant workers in general, even with existing international labor standards, will still be at risk of getting exploited by foreign, and sadly, sometimes fellow Filipino, employers. With that said, we, from NAFCON, amidst all celebrations, continue to say NO to LEP,” ended Fr. Alforque.

This coming July 3-5, member organizations of NAFCON will be sending delegates to the Second International Assembly of the International Migrants’ Alliance (IMA 2) in Manila, Philippines to join other grassroots organizations all over the world in defending the rights and welfare of migrants. Later this year, on October 21-22, NAFCON will be having its General Assembly and is expected to tackle more about Filipino workers’ issues and concerns in the U.S. In both assemblies, resolutions are expected to be passed regarding the Convention on Domestic Workers. IMA-US will also be launched on October 23 which hopes to adopt further unities regarding the ILO standards on domestic workers. ###

————————–

To join the NAFCON news list please send a request to info@nafconusa.org.

The National Alliance for Filipino Concerns [NAFCON] is a national multi-issue alliance of Filipino organizations and individuals in the United States serving to protect the rights and welfare of Filipinos by fighting for social, economic, and racial justice and equality. It was launched in San Jose California in 2003. At present, NAFCON members encompass over 23 cities in the United States.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Melanie Dulfo, Philippine Forum
Email: Melanie_dulfo@yahoo.com, (718) 5658862

Grassroots Domestic Workers Group in NY Celebrates and Reflects
on ILO Adoption of Int’l Standards for Domestic Work

Woodside, New York – The KABALIKAT Domestic Workers’ Support Network of Philippine Forum celebrates the passage of the Convention on Decent Work for Domestic Workers by the International Labor Organization (ILO). Members of KABALIKAT, which means “shoulder-to-shoulder” in Filipino, can attest to how domestic workers have remained invisible as workers globally. This state of unprotected employment conditions puts Filipino workers at risk for exploitation, abuse, and
trafficking, with no guarantee that they will be given protection by the Philippine government, which, instead, has been promoting domestic work through its Labor Export Policy (LEP).

“Even as workers continue to support the Philippine economy through their remittances, they have received less or no support at all from the Philippine government. This has been an outstanding problem which has been proven over and over again through the campaigns we’ve held in response to the needs of the domestic workers in the New York-New Jersey area,” stated Michelle Saulon, one of the PF-KABALIKAT Coordinators since its inception.

KABALIKAT was formed out of this state of lack of government aid or protection when a domestic worker, Fely Garcia, in New York was found dead and no help from the New York Philippine mission could be found to repatriate the body of Ms. Garcia to her family in the Philippines. The Philippine Forum, a community-based organization in Queens, assisted in fundraising to help family members of Ms. Garcia come to New York and take Ms. Garcia’s body back to the Philippines. In the following years, KABALIKAT has become involved in other cases and campaigns against exploitation and trafficking of Filipina domestic workers.

Lorena Sanchez, a domestic worker living in New York and an active member of KABALIKAT, is glad that the ILO has passed this very historic convention. “Of course, the more important point for us,” she relates, “is to ask: from these very large decisions made, how are we, in our everyday lives as domestic workers, affected?” Ms. Sanchez continues to call for continued educating and organizing, noting that the primary struggle is always the collective action of the people on the streets, even when supplemented by parliamentary struggle in the halls of these government or non-government institutions.

During the Third International Assembly of Migrants and Refugees (IAMR3) last November 2010 in Mexico, convened by the International Migrants Alliance (IMA) and the Philippine Forum among others, a workgroup discussion about the ILO convention for the international standards of domestic work highlighted the need to take part in forming this convention and recommendation, and pressure ILO member countries to ratify the international convention so that domestic workers would have clear protection and rights around their conditions, health, and work.

While there has been these concrete successes, including the passage of Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in New York, and the push now for a similar Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in California, domestic workers know very well that the fight is far from over. Ms. Sanchez points out, “this is very important, but this is only the beginning.”

KABALIKAT Domestic Workers’ Support Network is a program of Philippine Forum, a not-for-profit community grassroots organization offering direct services to the Filipino, and the larger immigrant, community in New York and New Jersey. It was launched in March 2007. Philippine Forum is a member organization of the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON-USA), MIGRANTE International, and the International Migrants’ Alliance (IMA). ###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
23 June 2011

Reference: National Alliance for Filipino Concerns National Office
Contact Info: (718) 5658862, info@nafconusa.org

NAFCON Celebrates Historic Passage of Int’l Standards for Domestic Workers by UN ILO

The National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON-US) celebrates the historic adoption of the Convention on Domestic Workers (2011) by United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO). This set of international standards aimed at improving the working conditions of tens of millions of domestic workers worldwide was adopted by ILO, the only agency of the UN that brings together representatives of governments, employers and workers on June 16th.

“The adoption of the Convention on Domestic Workers is of particular importance to the Filipino community because there are over 30,000 Filipinas and Filipino men employed as domestic and home care workers in the United States. Many of them receive low wages and lack benefits. They are also expected to work long hours, perform and complete unreasonable range of tasks, and are subject to physical and emotional abuse by their employers. For too long they have not been recognized as real workers which made them prone to abuses and exploitation by their employers.” stated Fr. Ben Alforque, President of NAFCON.

As a result of the new ILO standards an estimated 53 to 100 million domestic workers worldwide (Filipinos and non-Filipinos) are now entitled to have the same basic labor rights as other workers. This would mean “reasonable hours of work, weekly rest of at least 24 consecutive hours, a limit on in-kind payment, clear information on terms and conditions of employment, as well as respect for fundamental principles and rights at work including among others freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining,” as stated by the ILO.

“With the new standards adopted by the ILO, we hope the work conditions domestic workers face will improve but there are more steps to take and more struggles to face. We do not expect for these standards to be enacted immediately. Education should follow. The domestic workers — even if their nature of work is mostly isolated — must come together, must organize, must know their rights and continue to learn to fight for them,” continued Fr. Alforque.

Ultimately, for the Filipino community, NAFCON identifies the Philippine government’s Labor Export Policy (LEP) — the selling of our people’s cheap labor to other countries – as a deeper issue behind the suffering of Filipino migrants. Thus NAFCON continues to demand that national industries be built and genuine agrarian reform be implemented by the Philippine government to generate jobs at home so there will be no need to export our people abroad. “As long as there is LEP, our domestic workers, and all Filipino migrant workers in general, even with existing international labor standards, will still be at risk of getting exploited by foreign, and sadly, sometimes fellow Filipino, employers. With that said, we, from NAFCON, amidst all celebrations, continue to say NO to LEP,” ended Fr. Alforque.

This coming July 3-5, member organizations of NAFCON will be sending delegates to the Second International Assembly of the International Migrants’ Alliance (IMA 2) in Manila, Philippines to join other grassroots organizations all over the world in defending the rights and welfare of migrants. Later this year, on October 21-22, NAFCON will be having its General Assembly and is expected to tackle more about Filipino workers’ issues and concerns in the U.S. In both assemblies, resolutions are expected to be passed regarding the Convention on Domestic Workers. IMA-US will also be launched on October 23 which hopes to adopt further unities regarding the ILO standards on domestic workers. ###

————————–

To join the NAFCON news list please send a request to info@nafconusa.org.

The National Alliance for Filipino Concerns [NAFCON] is a national multi-issue alliance of Filipino organizations and individuals in the United States serving to protect the rights and welfare of Filipinos by fighting for social, economic, and racial justice and equality. It was launched in San Jose California in 2003. At present, NAFCON members encompass over 23 cities in the United States.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Melanie Dulfo, Philippine Forum
Email: Melanie_dulfo@yahoo.com, (718) 5658862

Woodside, New York – The KABALIKAT Domestic Workers’ Support Network of Philippine Forum celebrates the passage of the Convention on Decent Work for Domestic Workers by the International Labor Organization (ILO). Members of KABALIKAT, which means “shoulder-to-shoulder” in Filipino, can attest to how domestic workers have remained invisible as workers globally. This state of unprotected employment conditions puts Filipino workers at risk for exploitation, abuse, and trafficking, with no guarantee that they will be given protection by the Philippine government, which, instead, has been promoting domestic work through its Labor Export Policy (LEP).

“Even as workers continue to support the Philippine economy through their remittances, they have received less or no support at all from the Philippine government. This has been an outstanding problem which has been proven over and over again through the campaigns we’ve held in response to the needs of the domestic workers in the New York-New Jersey area,” stated Michelle Saulon, one of the PF-KABALIKAT Coordinators since its inception.

KABALIKAT was formed out of this state of lack of government aid or protection when a domestic worker, Fely Garcia, in New York was found dead and no help from the New York Philippine mission could be found to repatriate the body of Ms. Garcia to her family in the Philippines. The Philippine Forum, a community-based organization in Queens, assisted in fundraising to help family members of Ms. Garcia come to New York and take Ms. Garcia’s body back to the Philippines. In the following years, KABALIKAT has become involved in other cases and campaigns against exploitation and trafficking of Filipina domestic workers.

Lorena Sanchez, a domestic worker living in New York and an active member of KABALIKAT, is glad that the ILO has passed this very historic convention. “Of course, the more important point for us,” she relates, “is to ask: from these very large decisions made, how are we, in our everyday lives as domestic workers, affected?” Ms. Sanchez continues to call for continued educating and organizing, noting that the primary struggle is always the collective action of the people on the streets, even when supplemented by parliamentary struggle in the halls of these government or non-government institutions.

During the Third International Assembly of Migrants and Refugees (IAMR3) last November 2010 in Mexico, convened by the International Migrants Alliance (IMA) and the Philippine Forum among others, a workgroup discussion about the ILO convention for the international standards of domestic work highlighted the need to take part in forming this convention and recommendation, and pressure ILO member countries to ratify the international convention so that domestic workers would have clear protection and rights around their conditions, health, and work.

While there has been these concrete successes, including the passage of Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in New York, and the push now for a similar Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in California, domestic workers know very well that the fight is far from over. Ms. Sanchez points out, “this is very important, but this is only the beginning.”

KABALIKAT Domestic Workers’ Support Network is a program of Philippine Forum, a not-for-profit community grassroots organization offering direct services to the Filipino, and the larger immigrant, community in New York and New Jersey. It was launched in March 2007. Philippine Forum is a member organization of the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON-USA), MIGRANTE International, and the International Migrants’ Alliance (IMA). ###