Germany to recruit Filipino nurses soon

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday said Germany will soon recruit nurses from the Philippines.

In a statement, the DFA said  Philippine Ambassador to Germany Maria Cleofe Natividad met with officials of the Federal Employment Agency, International Placement Services (ZAV) in Bonn on March 0 to discuss the deployment of Filipino nurses to Germany and the upcoming visit of German Minister for Labour and Social Affairs Ursula von der Leyen to the Philippines.

Von der Leyen will witness the signing of an agreement between the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and ZAV to formalize the arrangement for the deployment.

In Bonn, Natividad was received by Monika Varnhagen, Director for the ZAV, and Annette Tigges-Thies, Head of Division for Labour Migration and Work Permits also at the ZAV.

Varnhagen briefed Natividad on Germany’s plans to ensure the success of the effort. Through partner agencies like the GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft fϋr Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH) and CIM (Centrum fϋr Internationale Migration und Entwicklung), the ZAV will ensure that Filipino nurses will have adequate linguistic and professional preparation, free of charge, prior to entry to Germany. Under the “triple win formula,” the agencies are responsible for the successful integration of the nurses into the German labor market and in their social environment.

Von der Leyen will go to Manila for the purpose of witnessing the signing of the agreement and meeting key Philippine officials. Von der Leyen supervises the ZAV. Since 2009, she has served as the Federal Minister of Labor and Social Affairs in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet. Prior to that,  Von der Leyen also served as Federal Minister of Family Affairs of Chancellor Merkel. The visit of the high-ranking official marks the commitment of the German side to ensure the successful implementation of the agreement.

The deployment of Filipino nurses is expected to address the current shortages experienced by German hospitals.

Natividad also informed the ZAV officials of the readiness of the Philippines to sign the agreement, particularly the POEA which will be responsible for the implementation.

“It is all systems go for the Triple Win Project. When the agreement is signed, then we have a cooperation framework that enables Filipino nurses to work in Germany,” Natividad said.

She added  that the agreement protects Filipino workers’ rights.

“Under the agreement, Filipino workers may not be employed under working conditions less favorable than those comparable for German workers,” Natividad said.

The deployment of nurses is part of enhanced labor cooperation discussed by Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario and German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle during the latter’s official visit to Manila in February this year. The two ministers called for cooperation across the board between the Philippines and Germany as the two countries celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations.