PH, Canada Partner on Ethical Labor Recruitment
Mr. Philip Hunter of the International Organization for Migration informed the participants (photo left) that the IRIS Pilot Test Project took 4 years to develop and implement in conferences and meetings of the IOM in Geneva. (Calgary PCG photo)
CALGARY 09 November 2018 – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) rolled out in Calgary the pilot testing of the International Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS) under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to Facilitate the Ethical Recruitment of Filipino workers between the Philippines and the Canadian Provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan on 17 October 2018.
“The IRIS Pilot Test Project will benefit the Filipino Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) in Alberta and Saskatchewan by institutionalizing the IRIS Standards and Principles of Ethical Recruitment that will protect their labor and civil rights, ensure fair and lawful recruitment and be fair to recruiters and employers,” Consul General Gilberto Asuque said.
The MoU – IRIS Pilot Test Project was signed on 08 June 2018 by the IOM, the Ministry of Service of Alberta, the Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety of Saskatchewan and the Philippine Department of Labor and Employment. The IRIS project will cover around 210,000 Filipinos and Filipino-Canadians in Alberta and Saskatchewan, including 75,000 Filipinos in Calgary.
IRIS is a new international instrument that is part of the Global Compact for Migration and is the first-ever bilateral government-to-government project involving authorities from IOM, Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Philippines.
Mr. Pawel Szalus also of IOM explained that the IRIS aims to achieve the fair and lawful recruitment of foreign workers by ensuring that the workers, recruiters and employers follow the “IRIS Principles of Ethical Recruitment”. The principles require that workers are hired lawfully, in a fair and transparent manner, that respect the workers’ dignity and rights and with conditions that are fair, and jobseekers find suitable and safe jobs.
The IRIS also aims to ensure that the recruitment process is fair for labor recruiters that would help them optimize business efficiency, reduce risks and gain recognition and market advantage. For the employers, IRIS aims to help them with job match, improve transparency, and minimize risks in the hiring process.
The IOM officials explained that the IRIS Standard has been developed through extensive consultation with stakeholder and expert communities and is based on international human rights instruments and labour standards such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, Dhaka Principles for Migration with Dignity, recruitment industry best practices.
The roll out ceremonies were held in Edmonton on 15 October 2018 attended by Deputy Consul General Zaldy Patron, in Calgary on 17 October 2018 attended by Consul General G. Asuque in Saskatchewan on 18 October 2018. The presentations on the IRIS project were conducted by Mr. Hunter and Mr. Szalus of IOM. END
For more information, visit www.calgarypcg.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/Philippine-Consulate-General-in-Calgary-569041073472108/
Mr. Pawel Szalus of the International Organization for Migration explaining what IRIS aims to achieve regarding the recruitment of foreign workers. (Calgary PCG photo)