Philippine and Israel officials are pushing for the early approval of a bilateral labor agreement that will benefit more or less 20,000 Filipino caregivers in the Middle Eastern country.
A statement from the Philippine Embassy in Israel said Ambassador Nathaniel G. Imperial met with Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Silvan Shalom on July 21 to discuss the possible agreement.
Among the topics discussed, according to the embassy, is the reduction of “mediation fees” by private recruitment agencies which is seen as the reason for the decline in the number of Filipino workers in Israel.
“The Deputy Prime Minister agreed that this practice is unfair for the workers,” the embassy said, referring to the collection of mediation fees by private recruitment firms.