Jordan ink pact on lifting of ban on Filipino maids

AMMAN, Jordan—Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz on Sunday signed here an agreement with her Jordanian counterpart that would pave the way for the lifting of the deployment ban imposed in 2008 on Filipino household service workers (HSWs) coming to Jordan.

Baldoz and Jordanian Labor Minister Maher Al Waked signed the agreement regulating the recruitment of HSWs to help stop the flow of undocumented Filipino maids into the country—which had continued despite the ban—and the cases of abuse of these vulnerable workers.

If successful, the agreement with Jordan could also serve as an example for other countries in the Middle East that are reluctant to agree on giving Filipino maids a basic salary of US$400.

“We need to intensify our program to stop illegal recruitment and trafficking, particularly of our women who work in households. We expect this agreement would be beneficial in terms of addressing the issues of illegal recruitment and trafficking,” Baldoz told members of the local Filipino community.

There were an estimated 15,000 Filipino maids in Jordan when the ban was imposed but one Jordanian recruiter said their number may have climbed to 20,000 today with the arrival of undocumented HSWs.

Two days before the signing, an undocumented 22-year-old Filipino maid who said she was beaten for a year by her employer was found wandering the streets of Amman.

To help put a stop to this, the agreement requires that Filipino HSWs would be deployed only through Jordanian and Filipino recruitment agencies “licensed and accredited for this purpose.”

A memorandum of understanding signed by the Recruiting Agents Association of Jordan (RAA) and the Philippine Association of Manpower Agencies for Jordan (Pamajor)—and expressly recognized in the agreement signed by Baldoz and Al Waked—states that both associations would deal only with their member-agencies.

Maids deployed through nonmember agencies would not be given work permits by the Jordanian government, officials of both associations said.

“They will ensure that the qualifications for our women HSWs would be strictly complied with—one of which is that they must undergo skills training and certification by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority,” Baldoz said.

“They will also be required to undergo culture and language training and medical exams to certify that they are fit to work,” she added.

On the part of the Jordanian employers, they cannot force a Filipino maid to do work other than that specified in the contract while the working hours should not exceed the limit specified by Jordanian law.

Employers should also provide suitable living quarters within the household; ensure adequate food, water, clothing and access to medical care; allow one day off per week, and not restrict the worker’s correspondence and religious practices as long they do not offend the traditions of the employer’s household.