MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 1, 2013) – Saudi Arabia continues its crackdown on illegal and overstaying migrants in an effort to flush out undocumented workers and force private firms to heed on the full implementation of the “Nitaqat,” or localization of labor force, according to the Migrante party list.
“We have been receiving confirmed reports since last week about the crackdown on illegal and overstaying workers led by composite teams of police and Saudi labor officials in the cities Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar and Dammam. Since then we have received numerous calls from Filipino undocumented workers and other nationalities asking for guidance and assistance,” said Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona.
Monterona, who is also the vice-chairperson of Migrante Sectoral Party of OFWs and families, said that since last week and as reported in several newspapers in Saudi Arabia that the Labor Ministry have amended Saudi labor law specifically Article 39 giving it more power to inspect and investigate violations related to expatriates employment in the Kingdom.
The Interior Ministry will arrest and deport those surplus workers who do not work for any company. It will also punish Saudi individuals and companies who employ such workers, according to the new article 39 of Saudi’s labor law.
While calling for the Saudi authorities to respect the rights of undocumented migrant workers, Monterona, however, clarified that their group understands the move by the Saudi government to rid the Kingdom of about a million undocumented and overstaying migrant workers, saying: “It is within the Saudi government local labor priorities, immigration and internal peace and order concerns.”
“Many of our fellow expatriate workers were forced to run away from their sponsors due to alleged numerous labor violations such as non-payment of salaries and overtime pay, working more than 8 hours, and contract substitution and illegal deductions by their recruitment agencies,” Monterona said, adding expatriate workers in Saudi is believed to more than 8 million comprising Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshi, Egyptians and Filipinos.
“We urge the Saudi authorities to implement first a general amnesty as it announced weeks ago covering all undocumented and overstaying migrants. The amnesty will include provisions of free and swift mass repatriation of undocumented and overstaying migrant workers in the Kingdom. Foreign diplomatic posts are awaiting the guidelines of this general amnesty” Monterona said.
“We also appeal to the Saudi govt. to respect our fellow migrants, though undocumented and overstaying, basic human rights as enshrined in UN Conventions on the Protection of Migrants and members of their Families. We call on them to implement free and swift mass repatriation on undocumented migrants in the Kingdom.”
Last week, Monterona said his group called on the Philippine Embassy and consulate officials to provide assistance to all undocumented and overstaying Filipino workers, especially women OFWs, who have children.
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