MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 1, 2014) – Hundreds of Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia have accused their employer of breaching their contract and other labor violations and appealed to Manila to help them after the Philippine Labor Overseas Office failed to safeguard their rights, according to Migrante-Middle East.
John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator based in Riyadh City, said at least 950 Filipinos working for Al Mojil Group of Companies, a contractor of Saudi Aramco, have stopped working for three months now to protest the violations after negotiations failed.
Monterona said the OFWs from 5 various job sites have stopped working since July – those at Jubail Camp 2 with 500 OFWs; Yanbu Camp site with 100 OFWs; WASIT SK Camp 150 OFWs; Shaybah Camp site 100 OFWs, and those at Dharan Camp site with 100 OFWs.
“The 950 OFWs were victims of contract violations such as delayed payment of salary, working without Iqama or residence identification card; and others who have been working for 10 or 15 years were not given entitlement like the end of service benefits, and they were not even allowed to go on vacation although they already successfully completed their one-year contract. Some of them were deployed, but no actual job assigned as per their respective job applied,” he said.
He said the complaints have been endorsed to the Philippine Labor Overseas Office in Al Khobar since June, but there was no prompt or timely intervention until the distressed OFWs were forced to stop working the following month to press their employer to honor the terms and conditions of their signed contract.
“The Aquino government through the Department of Labor and Employment its labor offices in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration have failed to safeguard the labor contracts of the OFWs despite rampant labor violations and also failed to provide assistance to distressed OFWs,” Monterona said.
Migrante-Middle East has been assisting the distressed OFWs and monitoring the situation of other Filipinos in Saudi.
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