The Department of Labor and Labor and Employment said that they are going to lessen the number of overstaying Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) in South Korea who are on “Tago-ng-Tago” (TNT) status.
According to Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz, there are 8,247 Filipino TNTs in South Korea, and in order to facilitate the legal and qualified OFWs based in South Korea the immediate need to decrease the number of overstaying Filipino workers must be implemented.
Secretary Baldoz added that disciplinary action will be enforce for workers who will violate the policy as the Philippine government told South Korean authorities about being serious in reducing the increasing number of TNTs in their country.
Photo Credit: The Philippine Star
Employment Permit System (EPS) is the Philippine and South Korean government agreement for direct hiring of OFWs. Workers under EPS are exempted to 38-year-old age requirement set and are not required to undergo training courses or take Korean language test upon employment.
South Korea’s Foreign Workers Policy Committee decides the number of foreign workers under EPS. However, the committee considers different factors such as the quota needed to work. Other factors includes “country’s overall economic condition, the level of labor shortages or number of vacant jobs available, and labor market trends.”
Based on the records there are 25, 951 OFWs working in South Korea with 13, 818 registered on EPS. South Korean government will implement 7.2 increase in the minimum wage to 5,210 won (US$4.92 or Php217.12) per hour equivalent to P45,642 per month.