Press Release

CONSULATE GENERAL, US DOL, POLO EDUCATE FILIPINO WORKERS ON LABOR RIGHTS AND GRIEVANCE MECHANISM

Chicago, 22 November 2022 - In line with its mandate to protect the interests and promote the welfare of the Filipino workers in the Midwest, the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago conducted a Webinar on Labor Rights and Grievance Mechanism on 04 November 2022. It was done in collaboration with the US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Chicago District Office (US-DOL), and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Washington DC.

The webinar aimed to inform Filipino workers of (1) their rights and the related grievance mechanism and (2) POLO’s assistance to aggrieved Filipino workers

Mr. Fidel Arroyo, Jr. of the US-DOL highlighted the minimum labor standards under US laws, including the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, and the Immigration Nationality Act, among others. Furthermore, he shared the procedure on filing complaints for acts or omissions committed by employers, which are contrary to the provisions of the law.

For her part, Labor Attaché Angela Librado-Trinidad of POLO-WDC gave an overview of the POLO’s various services for Filipino workers in the US, including accreditation of employers, verification of contracts, and on-site welfare services.

Mr. Fidel Arroyo, Jr. of the US Department of Labor (middle, center row),
Labor Attaché Angela Librado-Trinidad of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) Washington DC (left, center row),
with the Watch Party of the PCG personnel headed by Consul General J. Susana V. Paez (left, top row)
and the POLO Washington DC Team (right, middle and bottom rows)

In her opening remarks, Consul General J. Susana V. Paez thanked the resource persons for sharing their time and expertise for the benefit of the Filipino workers in the Midwest. She also assured Filipino workers that, “The Consulate General remains committed to advancing the interests of our workers in this part of the United States”.

The recorded version of the webinar has been uploaded in Post’s Facebook account link: (FB.com/WebinaronLaborRights).)for the benefit of the Filipino workers in the Midwest.END