DOLE working on labor pact with Slovenia, around 5k jobs up for grabs

MANILA, Philippines — The government is currently working on a bilateral labor agreement with Slovenia, where several companies are seeking to employ up to 5,000 Filipino workers, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said.

According to Bello, Slovenia is seeking Philippine approval for the deployment of around 2,000 to 5,000 skilled and semi-skilled Filipino workers to supplement their workforce.

“We are working on a bilateral agreement, para pag nagkaroon (na), pwede na po tayong mag-recruit at mag-deploy ng mga workers dun sa Slovenia,” Bello said in an interview with Radyo Inquirer on Monday.

(We are working on a bilateral agreement if it’s already in place, then we can recruit and deploy workers to Slovenia).

“Magandang prospect yon. Pero liwanagin namin, wala pang bilateral agreement kaya hindi pa tayo makakapag-delploy,” he added.

(It’s a good prospect. But let me clarify, a bilateral agreement is not yet in place. We can’t deploy workers yet).

“Maganda ang kanilang offer eh, maganda ang sweldo, maganda ang mag terms of employment kaya gusto naming…magandang alternative market of labor,” he further said.

(They have a good offer. Good salary and terms of employment. It’s a good alternative market of labor).

He noted that the salary in Slovenia is more competitive compared to the Middle East where qualified workers can expect a minimum wage of about US$1,000 or around P50,000 to P75,000.

Similar opportunities are also available to Filipino workers in Russia and Canada, the labor chief added.

Among the jobs to open to Filipinos include health care workers, nurses, engineers, truck drivers, heavy machine and equipment operators, and other industries, and household service, Bello said.

He added that a technical working group will be formed to negotiate the terms of the agreement and ensure the protection and safety of Filipino workers.

The crafting of the bilateral agreement will take about three months, he noted.