Migrant construction workers, abandoned in their thousands by Saudi employers in filthy desert camps during the kingdom’s economic slump, say they will not accept a government offer of free flights home unless they receive months of unpaid wages.
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While Saudi Arabia has vowed “urgent” action to assist stranded workers, it’s imperative that the country review and rethink the conditions and policies that led to this situation in the first place – primarily the kafala system, which basically gives the freedom of workers into the hands of their wealthy (mostly) Saudi employers.
It will also cover facilitation of transfer of sponsorship to those who want to stay and remain in the Kingdom to look for another job with other companies.
Rashidi said he had a detailed meeting with Saudi Labor Minister Mufrej Al-Haqabani in Riyadh a day earlier and discussed the issue of the stranded Pakistani workers.
About 7,000 of the Filipinos worked for Saudi Oger Ltd, while 3,000 were with Saudi Binladin Group and the rest with other firms, Arribas said.
King Salman Bin Abudulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia has ordered the release of 100 million Saudi Riyals (roughly P1.27 billion) as assistance to all stranded migrant workers in the Kingdom, including overseas Filipino workers.
According to the Saudi Embassy in Manila, the Saudi King issued the order in view of humanitarian considerations and keenness of the Saudi government in protecting the rights of foreign workers including OFWs. “As the ministry, we will go through the labor dispute courts to go after Saudi Oger and to collect the claims”.
Lawyers hired by the Saudi government will handle claims for delayed salaries, even if workers leave the country.
The Pakistani Minister added that the current problem is considered very limited and small in comparison with the presence of more than two million Pakistani employees in the Kingdom, who have been working for more than a decade without complaining. “When a company like Saudi Oger fails to comply with the rules, this will never destroy the good image of our labour market”.
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Philippines Secretary of Labour Silvestre Bello, who visited Riyadh for talks with Haqbani this week, said that with the assistance of Saudi authorities, about 1,000 Filipino workers could be sent home by mid-September. My daughters are out of school. “How can I go to Pakistan?”
