US, PH embassy sign pact to protect Pinoy workers

WASHINGTON D.C. – US Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis signed a partnership agreement with the Philippine Embassy and three other international posts that would benefit migrant workers employed in the United States.

“Migrant workers make important contributions to our economy. Today's agreements help ensure these workers are aware of the right to safe workplaces and to receive full payment of the wages owed to them under the laws of the United States,” Secretary Solis said.

For his part, Philippine Ambassador Jose Cuisia Jr., said the embassy is happy to have signed the joint declarations and letters of arrangement with the US labor department.

“We assure Department of Labor we will do our part in ensuring the dissemination of helpful information to Filipino workers concerning their right to a safe and healthy working environment, and fair wages and working hours in the US, and in assisting them to seek redress when such rights are disregarded or outright violated,” Cuisia said.

Aside from the Philippines, Solis also signed the partnership agreements with the representatives of the embassies of Honduras, Peru and Ecuador.

Under the agreements, regional enforcement offices of the department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration and its Wage and Hour Division will cooperate with local consulates of the four countries. Together, the consulates and Labor Department agencies will reach out to migrant workers with information about US health, safety and wage laws.

The partnerships will help the Wage and Hour Division and OSHA more effectively enforce US laws, especially in high-risk and low-wage industries. This cooperation also will help both agencies identify problems faced by migrant workers and target labor law enforcement efforts.