Migrant Workers’ Rights?

This chapter focuses on the outcomes and processes of a sudden strike by Philippine migrant workers in Brunei, who exercised some of the rights constituted in the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act by enlisting the assistance of Philippine state representatives to advocate for higher wages and working conditions. This conflict illustrates the limits of Philippine migrant citizenship, which are manifested in the nature of the strike, the role of the Philippine state in the negotiations process, and its outcome. The chapter ends with a discussion of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s state visit to Brunei where she intended to restore friendly relations with its government, causing the imperatives of labor brokerage to prevail.