Migrant Labor & the Moral Imperative: Filipino Workers
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MIGRANT LABOR & THE MORAL IMPERATIVE: FILIPINO WORKERS IN QATAR AND THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES IN THE 21ST CENTURY A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of The School of Continuing Studies and of The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Liberal Studies By Waverly Dolaman, B.A. Georgetown University Washington, D.C. November 27, 2010 Copyright 2010 by Waverly Dolaman All Rights Reserved ii MIGRANT LABOR & THE MORAL IMPERATIVE: FILIPINO WORKERS IN QATAR AND THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES IN THE 21ST CENTURY Waverly Dolaman, B.A. Mentor: Pamela Sodhy, Ph.D. ABSTRACT Migrant work is a critical part of the Philippines’ economy. In 2009, remittances, or money sent back to the Philippines from citizens working abroad, comprised 10 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). But these earnings often come at a heavy price, as migrant laborers encounter a host of abusive practices at the hands of Filipino recruitment agencies and Middle Eastern employers. The aim of this thesis is threefold. First, it provides information on and exposes this human rights issue, convincing readers of the “moral imperative” to help stop these abuses. Second, it explores the need for migrant workers, and the vulnerability of Filipino workers who do not have adequate work opportunities in the Philippines. Third, it offers solutions to improve working conditions for Filipino workers in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Although the thesis begins with a historical introduction, the scope of the work is the first decade of the twenty-first century, while the countries examined are the Philippines, Qatar and the UAE. The thesis is organized into five parts. Chapter One: “Introduction: A Brief Overview of Philippine History” sets the stage by providing necessary background iii information on the Philippines. Chapter Two: “The Demand by Qatar and the UAE for Migrant Workers” discusses the need for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in these two countries and outlines important definitions and statistics. Chapter Three: “The Plight of Filipino Workers in Qatar and the UAE” then deals with five aspects of their plight: desperate need for a job, expensive journey to the Middle East, dangerous work conditions, problems with remuneration and substandard living conditions. Chapter Four: “Shared Responsibility: The Role of the Philippines, Qatar and UAE Governments and Other Interested Parties in the Filipino Migrant Worker Problem” investigates how each government fails to adequately protect OFWs, and analyzes the efforts of interested parties, such as the United Nations (UN) and Human Rights Watch, in helping migrant workers. Chapter Five: “Conclusion: Recommendations to Address the OFW Problem” proposes solutions to improve the Filipino migrant labor situation, such as creating jobs within the Philippines and drawing more attention to human rights abuses, especially by governments and employers. The final chapter compares and contrasts the plight of Filipino workers in both Middle Eastern countries and notes that more needs to be done to alleviate this problem. iv CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... iii MAPS ........................................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION: A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PHILIPPINE HISTORY ........................................................................................................ .. 1 The Indigenous Period (3000 B.C.E. – 1521 C.E.) ........................................... 4 The Spanish Period (1521 – 1898) ..................................................................... 7 The American Colonization Period (1898 – 1946) ......................................... 12 The Post-Independence Period and the Start of Overseas Filipino Workers (1946 – present) ................................................... 16 2. THE DEMAND BY QATAR AND THE UAE FOR MIGRANT WORKERS .................................................................................................... .. 28 Definition of the Term Migrant Worker ......................................................... 28 OFWs in Qatar and the UAE ........................................................................... 31 The Case of Qatar: Its Need for Migrant Workers .......................................... 38 The Case of the UAE: Its Need for Migrant Workers ..................................... 43 3. THE PLIGHT OF FILIPINO WORKERS IN QATAR AND THE UAE ............................................................................................. .. 52 Desperate Need for a Job ................................................................................ 53 Expensive Journey to the Middle East ............................................................. 58 Dangerous Work Conditions ........................................................................... 61 v Problems with Financial Remuneration ........................................................... 68 Substandard Living Conditions ........................................................................ 71 4. SHARED RESPONSIBILITY: THE ROLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, QATAR AND UAE GOVERNMENTS AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES IN THE FILIPINO MIGRANT WORKER PROBLEM ..................................................................................................... .. 78 The Philippine Government and OFWs .......................................................... 79 The Qatar Government and OFWs .................................................................. 88 The UAE Government and OFWs ................................................................... 89 The United Nations, Human Rights Law and Migrant Workers ..................... 92 Other Interested Parties and Migrant Workers .............................................. 101 5. CONCLUSION: RECOMMENDATIONS TO ADDRESS THE OFW PROBLEM ................................................................................ .. 109 Recommendations for the Philippine Government ....................................... 110 Recommendations for the Qatar and UAE Governments .............................. 118 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................... 124 vi MAPS Map 1. The Philippines ................................................................................................. 3 Map 2. Qatar ................................................................................................................ 37 Map 3. The United Arab Emirates .............................................................................. 43 vii CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION: A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PHILIPPINE HISTORY This thesis seeks to bring attention to an urgent human rights issue – maltreatment of migrant Filipino workers in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – and to present solutions to improve their work conditions. Qatar and the UAE provided jobs for over one-third of all overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in 2009, but these two countries are continually criticized for allowing worker abuse to occur within their borders.1 The reason for studying the Philippines is clear: the country is more reliant upon its overseas workers than is any other nation in Southeast Asia. In fact, 10 percent of the Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP) comes from remittances.2 Since the majority of OFWs travel to the Middle East, this region merits attention. Moreover, in 2009, among Middle Eastern countries, the UAE was second only to Saudi Arabia as the top destination for OFWs.3 While Saudi Arabia was initially considered as a country for study in this thesis, it was eventually excluded because a relatively low portion of the country’s population, about 19 percent, is comprised of foreign workers, compared with over 80 percent in both Qatar and the UAE.4 The UAE has also been chosen because it attracted a great deal of negative media coverage for condoning employers who abuse migrant construction laborers.5 Regarding Qatar, although it is not as popular a destination for OFWs as the UAE or Saudi Arabia, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently predicted that Qatar would be the world’s fastest- 1 growing economy in 2010, making its labor market a subject of increased interest in the future.6 Also, the UAE employs a large number of female OFWs in the domestic sphere, allowing comparisons across gender, employment sector and destination country in this thesis.7 The aim of the introduction is to set the stage for the thesis by providing a brief history of the Philippines. Its scope is rather extensive, ranging from the ancient period to the modern era in the country. The chapter is organized in five parts: “The Indigenous Period (3000 B.C.E. – 1521 C.E.);” “The Spanish Period (1521 – 1898);” “The American Colonization Period (1898 – 1946);” “The Post-Independence Period and the Start of Overseas Filipino Workers (1946 – present);” and “Conclusion.” The “Conclusion” includes a brief summary of important points, illustrating how history impacts the migrant labor problem in the twenty-first century. This introduction is a critical element of the thesis, as it establishes a solid foundation for analyzing Filipino workers’ current problems in Qatar and the UAE. 2 Map 1. The Philippines Source: CIA World Factbook, https://www.cia.gov/ library/publications/the-world-factbook/maps/map