Australian employers offer to subsidize deployment of OFWs

Estrada wants 2 more labor attachés Down Under

By Veronica Uy
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 16:19:00 08/16/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- A partnership between an employers’ group in Australia and a recruitment agency in the Philippines is offering to subsidize the deployment of skilled overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and professionals to that country.

In a related development, Senate president pro tempore Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada is proposing the assignment of two more labor attachés to Australia “to maximize the vast work opportunities there for our own labor force, as well as ensure protection of our OFWs in that country.”

Estrada, who retained his chairmanship of the Senate labor committee, said a labor attaché each should be posted to the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.

Citing Australia’s 2001census, he said 103,990 Philippine-born residents are distributed in the two areas. He added that more and more Filipinos work and live in Australia.

In an interview, Eduardo Burgos, former information attaché of the Philippine embassy to Australia, said MAB Int'l. Services Inc. and its new Australian partners have agreed not to collect any fees from OFWs to be deployed to Australia.

“The good thing here is that the selected Filipino workers will have the privilege to bring their family [spouse and children] to Australia,” he said, adding that OFWs will enjoy the same benefits as those given to Australian workers.

Burgos said his wife, Vilma Burgos, MABIS president and chief executive officer, met Barbara Anne Merrigan of M&M Health Power and Ray Hollis in Australia “to discuss their strategic alliance in recruiting and deploying appropriately qualified and experienced Filipino workers to Australia.”

Hollis is a former speaker of the Queensland Parliament.

Burgos said MABIS is the first recruitment agency in the Philippines authorized by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to deploy Filipino workers to Australia.

He said Australia is in need of various professionals and skilled workers.

The professionals needed are nurses, pharmacists, various information technology jobs [systems managers, software designers, systems designers, systems programmers, applications and analyst programmers], accountants, auditors, landscape architects, engineers [civil, mechanical, electrical, and electronic], and interior decorators.

The skilled workers needed are carpenters, metal fabricators, welders, motor mechanics, vehicle painters, vehicle trimmers, vehicle body makers, butchers, cabinetmakers, tailors, furniture finishers, hairdressers, dressmakers, apparel cutters, aircraft maintenance engineers, refrigeration and air conditioning technicians, petroleum and gas plant operators, power generation plant operators, heavy equipment mechanics, drillers and other mining workers.