Gov’t assisting nearly 700 OFWs left jobless in New Zealand

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 13) — The Philippine government is working to provide financial aid to the nearly 700 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in New Zealand affected by the sudden closure of the company they work for, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said on Saturday.

DMW officer-in-charge Hans Cacdac said his agency and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) have joined forces to assist the displaced workers of the ELE Group, described by the New Zealand Immigration as a “a large skilled labour hire agency in the construction and manufacturing sector.”

Over the Christmas holidays, New Zealand media announced that the company has gone into receivership, leaving over 1,000 people jobless. The Post said around half of the affected staff are migrant workers.

At least 452 OFWs have already sought assistance from the government, Cacdac reported in a virtual media briefing on Friday.

He also said several employers have communicated with the Philippine labor attaché in the capital city Wellington, expressing interest to hire the OFWs. The labor attaché, Cacdac said, “assured them that the best efforts would be exerted to refer the workers who are looking for work with a new employer.”

Cacdac added they are confirming reports that some affected employees have already found new jobs.

According to the DMW, bulk of the workers are in Auckland and Christchurch, where the company used to have big projects, while a smaller number is scattered in other parts of New Zealand.

Meanwhile, 14 of the displaced OFWs are in the Philippines for vacation and are being assisted by the government in returning to the foreign country.

Cacdac said with the leadership of the embassy in Wellington, they intend to request the New Zealand government to uphold the current work visa of the Filipinos, so they can return there to settle the obligations they left behind, reunite with their families, or seek new employment, if possible.

In a statement, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva called on the DMW and the DFA to ensure the OFWs will get their back pay and benefits on time.

He said the government should avoid a repeat of the situation of over 10,000 Filipinos in Saudi Arabia who lost their jobs in 2015 after the construction firms they worked for declared bankruptcy. They have yet to receive their long overdue wages, although in 2022, the Saudi government committed around 2 billion riyals (about ₱29.7 billion) to settle the unpaid claims.

“We ask the DMW and the DFA to immediately make representations with the New Zealand government and the private company so that obligations to our OFWs will be fulfilled in the soonest time possible,” Villanueva said.