"I gave up everything when I moved to Australia."
IT professional noon sa Pilipinas ang 38-taong gulang na si Alden Ganotisi bago niya inumpisahan ang Graduate Diploma in Leadership sa Australya isang taon ng nakalipas.
Kailangan ng tulong
"I'm done with my studies and my visa expires on May 1, but I was planning to study again. It's not practical for me to enrol now because of the pandemic. My siblings living in other countries were willing to support me financially, but they were also affected by the COVID-19 [outbreak]."
Bago ang pandemic, nagtatrabaho bilang waiter at factory worker si Alden; ngunit dahil sa hindi kasiguraduhan, nasisante siya.
"I got got a text two weeks ago that due to the situation, the factory no longer needs us [workers]. They said they will just let us know if they need us."
Ngayo'y wala na siyang trabaho, nahihirapan si Alden sa kanyang mga bayarin at hindi niya alam kung saan niya kukunin ang pera para sa isa pang visa upang siya'y manatili sa Australya.
Alden Ganotisi, an international student who recently lost his jobs as a waiter and factory worker. Source: Alden Ganotisi
"I checked the immigration website and there's no extensions for student visas right now. I will need to apply for a tourist visa then a student visa again if I want to stay, but it's not practical right now because I don't have a job."
Kahit nawalan siya ng trabaho, walang magawa si Alden kung hindi magpatuloy.
"I've been applying for jobs, but no replies yet. My only option is to be strong. We can't control the situation. I hope that this will be over soon."
Pagbigay ng suporta
Habang hindi pa natatapos ang pandemic, nagtatrabaho ang mga miyembro ng Migrant Workers Centre (MWC) sa Victoria upang matulungan ang mga gaya ni Alden. Isa sa mga miyembro na ito ay ang Multicultural Work Safety Ambassador na si Florence Dato.
Ayon kay Florence, namumuno siya noon ng mga community sessions ukol sa work safety rights at basic Occupational health and safety (OHS); ngunit ngayon, ang pokus ng centre ay magbigay ng suporta sa mga nawalan ng trabaho dahil sa pandemic.
Florence Dato [middle, bottom row] with other MWC Multicultural Safety Ambassadors. Source: Migrant Workers Centre
"We still do our community sessions, but we do them online at the moment. We've also shifted our focus to pushing for temporary migrants to be part of the 80% wage subsidy, among other things."
Habang ang resource lamang ng mga nawalan ng trabaho ay ang Victorian government subsidy, naglunsad ng form ang MWC upang maka-kolekta ng data at mabigyang impormasyon ang mga manggagawa ukol sa mga serbisyong maari nilang gamitin.
"Industries hardest hit seem to be hospitality and retail. A lot of them either lost their job or lost hours. A good number of them are temporary migrant workers, like international students and those who carry working holiday visas."
"MWC has a lot of organisations that it collaborates with. We collaborate with institutions such as food banks, which can provide immediate relief to those who need it. We're located in the Victorian Trades Hall; but because of the pandemic, we're all working from home. You can contact us online or call us. Our services continue."
"Because of the pandemic, we're all working from home. You can contact us online or call us. Our services continue." Source: Migrant Workers Centre
Patuloy ang mga serbisyo ng MWC, mas lalo na para sa mga international students at temporary visa holders na nangangailangan ng tulong.
“The Migrant Workers Centre calls on the Morrison Government to ensure that all people in our society are protected during the COVID-19 pandemic. This means extending income support to temporary migrant workers, extending bulk billing healthcare to all people, implementing a rent freeze and guaranteeing no evictions, extending visa deadlines and committing to no deportations."
"Our help is for all migrant workers, regardless of visa status. We launched our campaign on March 19 and now rent and evictions have been suspended for six months. We see movement. It's a good sign - it means the government is listening to what we have to say."
Ayon kay Florence, dapat hindi hindi mag-alinlangan ang mga taong humingi ng tulong.
Florence encourages those who need help to ask for it. Source: Migrant Workers Centre
"To my fellow Filipinos, don't hesitate to ask for help. I see organisations and even private individuals helping out. Don't be afraid to ask for help even from our deputy consul. On a case to case basis, they might be able to help. There's emergency assistance available."
"For international students and temporary visa workers, you've contributed a lot to Australian society so it's only right that the federal government also gives you due support and protection."
