FORMER employees of Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction (HHIC), many of whom are from Pangasinan, are protesting the refusal of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to issue them travel exit papers, which are necessary for working overseas.

The workers, composed of welders, designers, painters and engineers, were reportedly told by the POEA to first secure clearances from Hanjin, based at the Subic Freeport Zone in Zambales, before their travel documents can be authenticated.

The ex-Hanjin workers, however, are reluctant to do this as most of them who resigned or were terminated for cause are being required by Hanjin to reimburse P250,000 to the company for their training expenses in Korea or P150,000 if trained in the Philippines.

Ramon Lacbain II, chairman of the People’s Task Force on Hanjin & Subic Bay Inc., a non-government organization, has written to the new POEA Administrator, Jennifer Jardin Manalili, on September 3 to explain the predicament of the former Hanjin workers.

Lacbain said the clearance requirement is unwarranted because the former workers are not facing any suit and that the action of the POEA is tantamount to blacklisting which is prohibited by law.

The former Hanjin workers suspect that the company, through its subsidiary KCTECH, made a secret deal with some officials of POEA to get even with the former workers who have left the company. —LM

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments