PRE-DEPARTURE ORIENTATION SEMINAR BOOTCAMP Tomas D. Achacoso – MIRPAL Adviser Dushanbe, Tajikistan May 21-23, 2012

PDOS  PDOS is an (mandatory?) educational programme designed to assist successful applicants for organized recruitment (OR) prior to their actual deployment with information on the laws and procedures, cultural idiosyncrasies and practices of the host country, rights and responsibilities, protection and recourse in case of emergencies and psychosocial effects of working abroad and separation from family  Designed to modify human behavior in the conduct of work relationships to maintain social order

PEOS  POEA added a voluntary Pre-Employment Orientation Seminar (PEOS) for prospective applicants to assist them to arrive at decisions based on the appropriate knowledge of the benefits and pitfalls of working abroad, application procedures, services that may be availed of from various government entities and a proper perspective of the overall OR programme

PDOS Challenges  What does no-visa regime do?  What can PDOS do at this time? - existing OR system requires more basic reforms - careful selection of basket of rights and protection mechanisms lest actual delivery is hampered by insufficient action taken - extension of rights in PDOS program may have different impact given the majority work in the informal sector which is typified by lack of regulatory framework

PDOS Basket of Reforms  Regulatory framework that covers the minimum core labor standards that should be seen as promoting rather than impeding the protection of workers  Examine labor legislation and administration and their relevance to informal economy since these govern employment relationships, upholds labor rights, social protection and enforcement mechanisms such as dispute settlement and contract enforcement  Challenge is how to extend formal economy oriented laws to workers in the informal economy

Communication Strategy  From information to TRANSFORMATION  Broad access to information can result in triggering greater public awareness and debate that eventually leads to action/reaction from government  Top leaders and leadership of Executive, Legislative and Judiciary branches are most important target – They need to understand before they could believe and support  POEA serves as the information hub and clearinghouse of correct information on OR

Comity of Nations  International law principle: Recognition one nation allows within its territory of the legislative, executive and judicial acts of another nation, when these are not contrary to its policies or prejudicial to its interests  POEA utilized this as a way of encouraging host countries to strengthen their immigration policies and procedures and reminding them of their responsibility in protecting workers while in the host country

Comity of Nations  Foreign Ministries and other approving offices along with the Chambers of Commerce MUST become more conscious of the role they play in promoting and protecting the welfare of labour migrants since they have a role in ensuring the authenticity of such documents, legitimacy of visa requests and financial capacity of employers

MIRPAL APPROACH: A JOURNEY, NOT A DESTINATION  approach does not necessarily involve doing a lot of new things but a shift of focus – from “what” countries need to do to “how” best to support the processes of change involved - work on the essence & the form will follow  Reform is political  Reform is continuous  Learning process rather than just teaching  Top Leadership Executive Coaching  Measured Sequencing