Philippine and Israel officials are pushing for the early approval of a bilateral labour agreement that will benefit approximately 20,000 Filipino caregivers in the Middle Eastern country.

 A statement from the Philippine Embassy in Israel said Ambassador Nathaniel G. Imperial met with Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Silvan Shalom last week to discuss the possible agreement.

The Ambassador noted the decline in the number of Filipino workers in Israel, adding that one possible reason could be the exorbitant "mediation fees" being charged by private recruitment agencies for Filipino caregivers coming to work in Israel. The Deputy Prime Minister agreed that this practice is unfair for the workers.

The two officials also agreed that this issue could be addressed through a Bilateral Labour Agreement (BLA), which both the Philippine and Israeli sides are keen to sign as soon as possible.

"Implementation of Israel's BLAs with other countries has led to a significant reduction in the recruitment fees being charged to foreign workers in Israel," the embassy said.

It added that Shalom and Imperial expressed support for the early resumption of negotiations on a BLA between the Philippines and Israel to boost the competitiveness of Filipino caregivers in Israel.