Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz recently said that the Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) and the Social Security System (SSS) signed an agreement with the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines (DEUP) last 16 December 2013 for the coverage under the Employees’ Compensation Law and the Social Security Law of the Filipino employees of DEUP.

The Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed by the ECC Executive Director Stella Zipagan-Banawis, SSS President and CEO Emilio S. De Quiros, Jr., and the DEUP Ambassador, His Excellency Guy Ledoux.

According to Secretary Baldoz, Director Banawis has reported that through the agreement, all Filipino employees working for DEUP will be entitled to the benefits of ECC such as loss of income benefit, medical, rehabilitation services, carer’s allowance and death benefits.

The DEUP will pay the employer’s contribution in accordance with the schedules provided by the SSS and it will also deduct certain amount from employees’ salary for their contribution. In addition, DEUP will also pay for its employees EC contribution.

The SSS Law or the Republic Act No. 8282 provides that any foreign government, international organization or their wholly-owned instrumentality employing workers in the Philippine or employing Filipinos outside of the Philippines may enter into an agreement with the Philippine government for the inclusion of such employees in the SSS coverage.

“ECC, together with the SSS, is constantly meeting with various embassies and international organizations for possible agreement of coverage of social benefits under the EC Law and SSS Law of their Filipino employees,” Baldoz said.

“Filipino employees will greatly benefit from this agreement. I hope that other embassies and international organizations will be encouraged, as well, to enroll their Filipino employees with the ECC and the SSS,” she added.