17 October 2018, Calgary – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) rolled out in Calgary on 17 October 2018 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.

 

Consul General Gilberto Asuque said  the IRIS Pilot Test Project will benefit the Filipino Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) in Alberta and Saskatchewan by way of 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.

 

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 Department of Labor and Employment of the Republic of the Philippines.  The IRIS project will cover Filipino TFWs in the Post’s consular jurisdiction in Alberta and Saskatchewan.  There are close to 210,000 Filipinos and Filipino-Canadians in Alberta and Saskatchewan including 75,000 Filipinos in Calgary. 

 

Mr. Philip Hunter of IOM 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.  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. Hunter added.

 

Mr. Pawel Szalus also of IOM explained (photo right) 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, as well as, recruitment industry best practices.   It is designed to serve as a practical tool and guidance for enabling labour recruiters and employers to integrate ethical recruitment principles into recruitment related management systems, procedures, codes of conduct, and social sustainability initiatives. To achieve this, the Standard defines operational benchmarks for compliance with the IRIS ethical recruitment principles. The IRIS certification scheme currently under development will provide assurance of compliance with the Standard, which will be updated periodically.   The IRIS certification will have a two-year validity and will be renewed after evaluation that the recruiter or employer is  maintaining compliance with the IRIS Standards and the Principles of Ethical Recruitment.  

 

The roll out ceremonies were held in Edmonton on 15 October 2018 attended by Deputy Consul General Zaldy Patron and licensed Canadian recruiters of Filipino workers, immigration consultations and officials of the Province of Alberta; and in Calgary at the Sheraton Cavalier Calgary Hotel on 17 October 2018 attended by Consul General G. Asuque, DCG Patron, Labor Attaché Margarita Eugenio Fabon-Victorino and Ms. Lilia F. de Guzman, Welfare Officer; and some 20 licensed labor recruiters of Filipino TFW and immigration consultants.    A similar roll out ceremony was conducted by IOM in Saskatchewan on 18 October 2018.   The presentations on the IRIS project were conducted by Mr. Hunter and Mr. Szalus of IOM.