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10 PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY April 1 - 15 , 2017
Tinig Migrante
By E . Maestro
It is illegal to charge a worker a fee for work in B . C .
We understand that and yet we know this exchange of money happens . Yes , it is illegal but that has not stopped recruiters from charging fees for migrant workers to work in Canada . Recruitment fees are not legal , and recruiters and employers break the law when they do so . Rising Up Against Unjust Recruitment , a new coalition , is calling on the Labour MinisterShirley Bond to STOP this .
In an open letter to Minister Shirley Bond delivered by courier last Friday , April 6 , more than 30 groups and organizations , from unions , lawyers , academic community , grassroots organizations , service providers , faith-based groups , migrant advocates , signed on to strongly demand that the BC government take firm action and stop the abuse of TFWs from recruiters and employers who exact thousands of dollars in illegal recruitment fees from these workers .
We know this exaction of recruitment fees
Rising Up Coalition : Protect TFWs from Bad Recruiters and Employers happens , even in our Filipino community . It comes in various forms with different payment plans ; the combination of this debt burden , long before these workers leave for their jobs abroad , the low wages they receive in their host countries , their tied work permits to a single employer and their precarious temporary status makes migrant workers vulnerable to abuse and exploitation .
How much are we talking about here ? Typical fees range from $ 5,000 to $ 12,000 for jobs and desperation will push workers to borrow to pay these fees , with high interest of course . “ Kapit patalim ” provides the graphic image of workers gripping the sharp blade of a knife .
We know that there are cases where workers pay fees for promised jobs and contracts only to arrive in Canada and find out there are no jobs exist . This is referred to as “ release upon arrival .” Other workers find their jobs are not what is written
How is your Credit Score Determined ?
in their work permits or that the conditions of their work do not match what are on the contract . Recruitment fees and violations of work contracts were two issues that featured in the class action suit filed by the Filipino TFWs against their employer , Denny ’ s Restaurants .
Oversight is not enough and law enforcement in this situation has no teeth . This is the reason why unjust recruitment continues to happen . Can workers get the fees they paid back ? Almost impossible if the fees were paid to a partner recruiter outside of Canada because the long arm of the law does not stretch that far . If recruiters are BC based , the worker complainant would have to make sure that they complain within the six-month limitation period set by the Employment Standards Branch .
In the open letter , the Rising Up Coalition wrote “... we strongly urge the provincial government to enact l e g i s l a t i o n
and policy to ensure that the Employment Standards Branch is mandated to proactively investigate , enforce and penalize offending recruiters and employers . In doing so , BC would be aligning itself with six other provinces which have recognized the need to protect vulnerable TFWs through legislation .”
If there is political will and if there is genuine concern for the rights of migrant workers , BC should be working to be in line with the six Canadian provinces that have implemented better legislation to protect migrant workers , including enforcment regulation of employment agents and recruiters and of proactive enforcement . After Alberta , BC is the second destination for TFWs in their thousands , and yet , BC has been overtaken by the other provinces -- Saskatchewan , Nova Scotia , New Brunswick , Ontario , Manitoba , and Alberta -- in giving migrant workers their due .
To read the open letter in full , visit the website of the Rising Up coalition at http :// www . risingup . ca
To add your name to the petition , visit the site as well . Rather than helplessly accepting that recruitment fees are here to stay ( “ talagang ganiyan kasi ” ) , we can actually start to rise up , question , and demand that things change . Rise up and sign the petition to end unjust recruitment and protect migrant workers .
Make a Will Week April 9 to 15
MYLENE LIM , AMP Licensed Mortgage Specialist
Today ’ s e c o n o m y runs on c r e d i t , w h e t h e r you need a mortgage for your house , tuition , car loan , or even to pay for that coffee that you ’ re charging to on your credit card . The baseline is these creditors lend you money that you promise to pay back within a specific time frame . Your credit score is a big factor in determining if you can get approved for credit , what amount and what interest rate is applied .
Essentially , in a glance , a credit report shows how you manage your financial obligations and lenders use this score to determine what are the chances you will pay your obligations if they lend money to you . The main factors used to calculate your credit score are your credit payment history , current debts , and length of credit history , frequency of new credit application , and credit type mix : 1 ) Payment history ( 35 %) Each of your creditor reports every time you make a payment – every time you pay as agreed , every timely payment and every late payment . Negative information such as judgement , consumer proposal or
bankruptcy will also be reflected on your report . 2 ) How much is owed ( 30 %) Lenders are not comfortable if you tend to carry a balance on your cards that is close to your maximum limit . This could reflect that you are over extending yourself and may eventually default on your payments . As a rule of thumb , if you have to carry a balance , try to stay within 50 % of your limit
3 ) Length of Credit History ( 15 %)
Credit is not built overnight . Only time can show how responsible you are with your financial obligations , therefore the longer your credit history , the more weight it would carry . 4 ) New Credit Application ( 10 %) This portion shows how often your credit record has been checked in the last five years . “ Credit shopping ” might mean you are having financial problem . Try to avoid having your credit record pulled unnecessarily ; a good example of numerous “ pulls ” of your credit score is when you go to car dealership to buy a car . 5 ) Type of Credit Used ( 10 %) Different types of credit like credit cards , car loans , student loans , and line of credit give an overall picture of
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