GENEVA: A shocking revelation has surfaced about the Pakistani Mission in Geneva.
The Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations in Geneva has not paid six Filipino workers for the past 20 years, the Filipino workers said.
According to those six Filipinos, they were promised a swell life in Geneva, with handsome pay, housing and social insurance coverage. Sadly, their expectations and reality stood on two extremes upon reaching Geneva.
As per a report by Swissinfo, in exchange for a legitimation card (a special card that diplomats give to their employees and that is issued by the Swiss Mission), they had to consent to working more than 10 hours a week without compensation. For making ends meet, the workers had to look for work at other places as well.
A formal complaint has been filed now with the Geneva Public Prosecutor’s Office with the help of SIT (Syndicat interprofessionnel de travailleuses et travailleurs) – the Interprofessional Trade Union of female and male workers.
Mirella Falco, head of the SIT workers union, said “For decades, these domestic workers have been silenced by their fear of losing their residence status. If they are dismissed, they have two months to find another diplomatic employer. If not, they have no choice but to leave or go underground.”
As the coronavirus pandemic worsened the situation of those Filipino workers — several people grew ill — they chose to come out of the shadows and testify openly, risking confrontation with the diplomatic world and its advantages, as well as the possibility of not finding work.
Serious offense by Pakistani diplomats
The six Filipino employees have petitioned Switzerland’s Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis through SIT. In their letter, they expressed their displeasure with the atrocities they had endured and requested that Switzerland protect them.
The union is encouraging the government to take steps to put a halt to these abuses, including tightening the regulations governing working conditions and residence permits in the diplomatic community.
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