#Saudi Unpaid Salaries for Filipino Workers | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

zvaigzdelasas · 2 years ago

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The Philippines lifted a ban on the deployment of workers, including maids and construction workers, to Saudi Arabia on Monday after steps were taken to reduce frequent abuses, officials said.

Labor officials stopped sending workers to the oil-rich kingdom a year ago due to the abuses, including the non-payment of wages to thousands of Filipino construction workers, and the coronavirus threat.

Susan Ople, who heads the country’s newly established Department of Migrant Workers, said months of negotiations with Saudi Arabian officials have led to an agreement on additional safeguards, including the adoption of a standard employment contract that provides insurance coverage for workers for non-payment of salaries and allows workers to change employers in the case of abuse.[...]

Ople said Saudi Arabian officials will visit the Philippines this month for a joint review of salaries of Filipino workers and resume discussions on complaints over the unpaid salaries of thousands of Filipino construction workers dating back to 2016.[...]

Philippine officials are under increasing pressure to do more to monitor the safety of Filipino workers worldwide. There have also been calls for the government to boost employment and living standards at home, where millions live in poverty, so that fewer people need to abandon their families and find work abroad.

7 Nov 22

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tin-mac · 4 years ago

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Repatriated OFWs resist pandemic’s stresses through family bonds

MANILA — Wilfredo Pamposa’s wallet subdued him yet again, for a fifth straight year. Unpaid salaries and benefits from two bankrupt Saudi Arabian construction firms had long emptied Pamposa’s wallet, almost draining his resilience.

COVID-19 came to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia mid-March. Pamposa’s iqama (the Kingdom’s permit for employment visa holders) expired. Since 2019 Pamposa and fellow Filipino workers had been economically immobile: “I was on standby for a year, remitting nothing to my family.”

Raising funds through whatever means necessary, Pamposa miraculously paid the penalty for his expired iqama and his exit visa fees. With the help of Philippine diplomatic and labor personnel in Riyadh, Pamposa got repatriated last May.

Pamposa’s eyes and his voice’s tone got hushed as he narrated this story during a webinar on overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) repatriated by the COVID-19 pandemic. During a nine-day quarantine sortie at a small motel in Quezon City, he finally slept on Philippine soil, roused that years of overseas financial agony will finally end.

And when the negative swab test result came out, wife Grace sobbed in glee. What’s important, Grace narrates, “is that he’s back home safe —even without money.” The return trip from the motel in Cubao, Quezon City to the rented apartment in Antipolo City had ceased Pamposa’s years of wallowing in financial despair, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Familial love not only saved this breadwinner and his family. I tended to an ihaw-ihaw (grilled street food) stall here, Grace said. Two of their three children stopped schooling since 2019 and they earn from tutoring elementary school children who are their neighbors.

A pandemic pushed OFWs, both with unstable and stable jobs, to the limits. Repatriation saved them, even if quarantine routines and rapid tests back home suspended their excitement to be relieved from the physical, financial and mental stresses of overseas migrant work.

However, the all-enduring Filipino safety net during crises —the family— soldiered migrant breadwinners to confront uncertain economic futures together, with love.

“We’re happy even ‘without money. At least he’s back home [Masaya po kami kahit walang pera. At least nakauwi na],” a teary-eyed Grace Pamposa uttered. “We can earn money once again. What’s important is he’s safe [Iyung pera naman, mapagkikitaan uli iyan. Ang importante, ligtas siya].”

This Filipino safety net calmed the emotions and stresses of some 55,859 repatriated land- and sea-based OFWs who bore the brunt of massive overseas job layoffs. The repatriations continue, possibly reaching 300,000 repatriated OFWs by August, government authorities estimate.

In March, seafarer Archie Arce saw his cruise ship grounded just a month from his return to active duty, with COVID-19 hitting passengers and crew of many luxury cruises. Nobody expected this pandemic to happen, Arce said, “so I wasn’t ready, honestly [hindi ako naging ready, sa totohanan lang].”

Docked for five weeks by required quarantine measures, Arce —now back home— got stomped also by what Caloocan City residents are doing now to survive this pandemic. “I still can’t think of a business until now because many, many people here are now doing business online [Wala kaming maisip na puwedeng business. Dami na kasing nago-online].” Wife Regine (a church volunteer) and a 16-year-old daughter comforted their “sad” father with smiles upon his stepping foot in their humble abode. “Finally [Sa wakas],” Regine said gleefully, “You’re here! We’ll take care of you.” (“Until the financial support comes back,” Grace said their only daughter will skip school this year.)

These tales by the Pamposa and Arce breadwinners reveal a “grieving process” that these returned OFWs have to go through,” veteran OFW counselor Fr. Nilo Tanalega, S.J. of the UGAT Foundation said.

“A job and a dream were both lost,” Tanalega told the OFW couples during a July 10 webinar organized by the Catholic-run nonprofit Scalabrini Migration Center.

Tanalega recommends constant communication for the returned migrant worker and the spouse in these moments of reintegrating back to the country beside quarantines and movement restrictions. This approach, he adds, is a “process that will take time for them to adjust and adapt to family life again.”

Remember, Tanalega explained, “the OFW is accustomed to living alone. Then he or she went back abruptly.”

The pandemic and the resulting quarantines OFWs faced saw them teeter from mental health problems. Recent reports of suicides by Filipino seafarers for example “are serious matters,” Tanalega said.

And now that COVID-19 had grounded Filipino families and livelihoods, Tanalega proffered couples with repatriated OFW breadwinners to ask themselves how they and their families should soldier on.

“It is easy to say that you are now with your families and you should support each other,” Tanalega said. “But they should execute such forms of family support, especially the families’ emotional and relationship needs, at this time.” Economically, for example, Tanalega prodded OFW couples to ask themselves during this pandemic: “How will we know if what we have is enough for us [Paano natin malalaman na sapat na iyan para sa inyo]?”

And with Filipinos still perplexed at the uncertainties their immediate futures hold, 28-year seafarer Teodoro Rosello worries about his next work. Will we get rehired, Rosello asked, “if our companies recover from this pandemic?” But the return home, the Rosello patriarch said, “is freedom from work” for seafarers like him.

Going home to Bacoor City, Cavite is “the happiest part,” and wife Charity made Teodoro’s return happier with a tight hug.

The family’s whole again. I’m seeing my three boys again, Teodoro said. Yet the unseen enemy, COVID-19, pushed the Teodoros mostly inside home even if Cavite’s now on general community quarantine. All plans for out-of-town leisure got cancelled.

But in handling boredom, the family’s up and about to spend happy times. They cook and grill together, singing to their hearts delight, Charity narrates.

Something else held the Teodoros tight in these times. It’s prayer, Charity said. “During this time that we do not know what happens next, we need to cling to prayers. If before we had trust in the Lord, now all the more we need to stick to Him.”

Oops, Charity reminded her hubby: “We have programmed our house chores. Get the broom. Clean the car!” Daily loud serenades by the singing Teodoros pacify the stresses a pandemic continues to bring, and an overseas worker’s fears about the future.

Freelance journalist Kristine Anne Macasiray is a 2019 product of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) journalism program.

Published on The Filipino Connection, Philstar.com, and Tinig-UK.

#tinmaccontribs

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phgq · 4 years ago

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2 firms agree to pay for repatriation of ‘scavenging’ Saudi OFWs

#PHnews: 2 firms agree to pay for repatriation of ‘scavenging’ Saudi OFWs

MANILA – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Monday announced that two companies have agreed to shoulder costs of the plane tickets of the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in their employ, who would be repatriated to the Philippines.

“On June 6, 2020, the POLO (Philippine Overseas Labor Office) paid the workers another visit through which workers were apprised of the following agreements reached with the employers or the concerned companies: Aero Allied Services agreed to shoulder plane fares of workers who have not finished their contract while Team Time Company committed to purchase plane tickets of those who have finished their contracts,” the agency said in a statement.

It added that the repatriation will be subject to the availability of flights, taking into consideration the restrictions imposed by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on incoming flights.

This came after viral videos showed OFWs in Riyadh scavenging from garbage for food and claiming in radio and television interviews that “they are having a hard time filling their hungry stomach because their food allowance was delayed".

Based on the report of Labor Attaché Nasser Mustafa of the POLO in Riyadh, a complaint was filed last February 2020 by the employees of Team Time Company and Aero Allied Services for the frequent delay in the payment of their salaries and lack of food and medical assistance.

The POLO intervened and compelled the companies concerned to pay their unpaid salaries last March 2020.

On March 12 and 25 and on May 22, the POLO, in coordination with the Social Welfare Attaché, and the management of Team Time Company and Aero Allied Services, distributed food packs and hygiene kits to the workers.

It added that due to the lockdown, the distribution of food packs and hygiene kits were all done in close coordination with the Filipino community in Saudi Arabia to ensure that those in the far-flung areas or those from 500-600 kilometers away from the POLO will also receive the assistance.

After the dialogue conducted by the POLO with the workers on May 5, the POLO requested Team Time Company and Aero Allied Services for the immediate repatriation of the workers, citing the frequent delay in the payment of the workers’ salaries and inadequate food assistance.

During the May 22 distribution of food packs and toiletries, the POLO reiterated to the workers, especially those who have not availed of the financial assistance to apply at once, including those who are still receiving salaries, allowances and food accommodations.

They were assured that their applications will be prioritized to make it to the second tranche of payoff.

“The POLO, which caters to the northern region of Riyadh, bordered with checkpoints, and travel restricted by curfew, is constrained as it faces issues and challenges in responding to the problems and needs of our OFWs,” it said.

At the same time, it assured the affected workers will be provided by the one-time cash assistance of USD200 (PHP10,000) under the Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong (AKAP).

“Rest assured however that DOLE-AKAP financial assistance and repatriation of workers who either lost their jobs due to the pandemic or undocumented and seeking to return to the Philippines, will continue,” the DOLE added. (PNA)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "2 firms agree to pay for repatriation of ‘scavenging’ Saudi OFWs." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1106640 (accessed June 23, 2020 at 01:10AM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "2 firms agree to pay for repatriation of ‘scavenging’ Saudi OFWs." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1106640 (archived).

#Philippines #News #Filipino #Pinoy #Tourism #Politics #Culture #Editorial #Environment #Society #History

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vsplusonline · 5 years ago

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Virus traps, sickens foreign laborers in Gulf Arab states

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/virus-traps-sickens-foreign-laborers-in-gulf-arab-states/

Virus traps, sickens foreign laborers in Gulf Arab states

Long a lifeline for families back home, migrant workers in oil-rich Gulf Arab states now find themselves trapped by the coronavirus pandemic, losing jobs, running out of money and desperate to return to their home countries as COVID-19 stalks their labor camps.

Whether on the island of Bahrain, hidden in the industrial neighborhoods behind Dubai’s skyscrapers or in landlocked cities of Saudi Arabia, a growing number of workers have contracted the virus or been forced into mass quarantines. Many have been put on unpaid leave or fired.

The United Arab Emirates is even threatening the laborers’ home countries that won’t take them back with possible quotas on workers in the future – something that would endanger a crucial source of remittances for South Asian countries.

Workers like Hunzullah Khaliqnoor, an IT manager from Peshawar, Pakistan, who shares a room in Dubai with his two brothers, just wants to escape.

Khaliqnoor said he has been pleading daily with the Pakistani Consulate to fly him and one of his brothers out. “Our job is gone and we need to move.”

It’s a cruel fate for the millions of mostly South Asian migrants who left their homes. They’ve missed priceless years and family milestones for more lucrative wages in the Gulf.

Their work is essential for the region that hosts them and for their home countries. Their remittances are a lifeline for nations like Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and the Philippines.

Some 35 million laborers work in the six Arab Gulf states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as in Jordan and Lebanon, according to U.N. figures. Foreigners far outnumber locals in the Gulf states, accounting for over 80% of the population in some countries.

Gulf states have increased coronavirus testing for residents and citizens alike. The UAE, for example, says 10,000 workers are being screened daily in Abu Dhabi’s industrial district.

Many of the migrants hold low-paying construction jobs, laboring in scorching heat to transform the region’s deserts into cities teeming with highways, skyscrapers, luxury hotels and marbled malls. Others work as cleaners, drivers, waiters and in jobs traditionally shunned by locals. Women often find jobs as nannies or maids.

The virus represents a new danger, especially in their living quarters. Krishna Kumar, the head of the Abu Dhabi-based Kerala Social Center, named after the Indian state from which many laborers come, said up to 10 workers share a room in some labor camps in the region.

In Bahrain and Qatar, hundreds of migrant workers were quarantined after an unknown number contracted COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Saudi Arabia also noted the danger of the virus spreading in housing for laborers. It’s a crisis striking Singapore as well.

Gulf countries have introduced amnesty periods for workers whose visas and residencies expire during the pandemic. Several have ordered firms to provide food and accommodation to migrant workers who’ve been furloughed, though laborers have been vulnerable to abuse for decades. Countries also have promised free treatment for any confirmed case of the virus, regardless of citizenship.

Access to health care, however, remains an issue. In Dubai’s industrial Al Quoz neighborhood, an Associated Press journalist recently saw more than 20 people who were worried that they had the virus standing for hours in the rain outside a private clinic, waiting to be seen.

In a statement to the AP, clinic owner Aster DM Healthcare said it hadn’t “observed any unprecedented queues at any of our clinics” and followed “all measures of social distancing.”

In Dubai’s Naif neighborhood, home to the famed Gold Souq, a man who gave his name as Bilal told the AP that he and his colleagues had been stuck in their office building because police closed the area off without warning as a weeks-long curfew came into effect. Dubai has since imposed a citywide 24-hour lockdown.

Qatar, the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, cordoned off parts of its Industrial Area to prevent the spread of the disease. That’s left an undisclosed number of laborers reliant on government-distributed food and essentials.

Qatar’s government told the AP in a statement that any of the workers quarantined or ill will continue to be paid in full.

Across the Gulf, construction has been deemed essential and continued in spite of curfews and restrictions. Amnesty International researcher May Romanos said it’s unclear if workers can practice social distancing on buses, at construction sites and in their accommodations.

“These governments have the responsibility to make sure that workers are being protected,” she said.

Amnesty recently criticized Qatar for deporting migrant workers who thought they were being tested for the coronavirus, stripping them of their owed salary and end-of-service benefits. Qatar alleged the workers were illegally manufacturing and selling banned substances, something the men denied when speaking to Amnesty.

For those hoping to return home, flights are still largely grounded across the Gulf. Some nations refuse to accept returnees over concerns about controlling their own outbreaks.

Thousands of Filipino workers in the Mideast have returned home since February, while tens of thousands more may be repatriated in the next few months, Department of Foreign Affairs official Ed Menez told the AP.

Pakistan has launched some return flights for its workers.

However, India has no plan yet to evacuate its nationals from Gulf Arab countries, said a Foreign Ministry official who spoke on condition of anonymity as he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter. Nepal also has no plans to bring its citizens home.

Meanwhile, ambulances regularly can be seen in Dubai’s Al Quoz neighborhood. Chukwuma Samuel of Nnewi, Nigeria, looked on nervously as an ambulance stopped near his home. Samuel lost his job as a kitchen assistant, but he isn’t yet ready to leave the Gulf because he sold everything for the chance to work in Dubai.

“Honestly, we are not safe,” he said, watching an ambulance attendant in a hazmat suit. “It’s only God that we have.”

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krrw2020 · 6 years ago

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20 OFWs ejected from homes in Saudi get help

MANILA -- Some 20 overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia are receiving assistance from the government after they were kicked out from their company-provided accommodations for refusing to work because of unpaid salaries and food allowance.

The Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah said the 20 are now being taken care of at the Bahay Kalinga by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, which is now making arrangements for their repatriation, in coordination with their Philippine recruitment agency.

Consul General Edgar Badajos said Labor Attaché Nasser Munder and Welfare Officer Yolanda Peñaranda immediately took custody of the 20 Filipinos who refused to report for work because they have not been paid their salaries and food allowance for the past two months.

The workers were recruited by a Saudi recruitment agency, which later transferred them, upon their request, to their present company that assigned them to work as cleaners in Jeddah hospitals and residential homes.

The company, however, failed to pay their salaries and food allowances. (DFA PR)

#philippines #pilipinas #pinoy #filipino #phnews #pinas #noypi #pilipino

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alaskaeveryoung · 8 years ago

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Tracing Overseas Threats

Through the years, it is undeniably true that millions of Filipinos have risked everything to leave the country and worked overseas. As various circumstances entwine Filipino’s way of living, working overseas has constantly caused a stir in the country --- enraging the issues of unemployment, low wages, and economic instabilities. Even so, it was already proven that working overseas opened doors for greater opportunities --- from improving the lives of their families to discovering diverse experiences, doubtlessly, working overseas created positive changes and influence to many.

Overseas Filipino Workers, wrapped with bravery, tenacity, aspirations, and passion, are facing difficulties through the years. While many have attained the life that they have always wanted, the fight of these modern heroes is far from over.

Rise of contemporary heroes

Taking a leap can be daunting, but, not for our Overseas Filipino Workers. For most of them, taking a risk means undressing their armor and cope instead with the stressful things that await them once they flew away from their homes. These include nostalgia, the oddity of losing them for a while for the welfare and good future of their families, the dark roots of crises, and so much more.

Trading the long years of being together with their families for a job that separates them miles and miles away from their homes seems to be a tough battle. And, what made it more difficult are the never-ending cases and issues they are encountering. Though some of them have finally reached their dead ends, others are still manipulating their brains to stay a little bit more. Perhaps, they cannot truly afford to see their families suffer from hunger once they have been fired from their jobs.

Issues longstanding

Unknown to many, there are other problems that these OFW’s are encountering such as maltreatment, rape, unequal pay, financial innumeracy, unpaid loans, illegal recruitment and other forms of abuse that still need facing. Unfortunately, these problems remain unsolved. The government and other agencies might have policies for all of this, but considering the fact that rampant cases of abuse are still prevailing is already enough to provoke the arguments and sentiments of many Filipinos nowadays.

Last 2016, the entire country was totally flabbergasted when a news came that OFWs from Saudi Arabia will be sent back home due to the economic crisis it was facing. The said crisis was caused by the epic oil crash that led to the financial disaster of Saudi Arabia. In line with this, thousands of OFWs struggled with unemployment, carrying the false hope of innovative life by working overseas.

Hoping to dig deeper into the economic crisis and the effects of it, Joshua Roldan, a Broadcast Journalism student from De La Salle University-Dasmariñas was given the privilege of interviewing a former OFW who is affected by the issue to gather some insights concerning the sudden plight of OFWs from Saudi Arabia.

Joshua: State your name, your job and for how many years you have been working in Saudi Arabia.

Angelito: I am Angelito Mojica, a storekeeper in a restaurant. I am an OFW for five years and a half.

Joshua: What was the reason why you were sent back home from Saudi Arabia?

Angelito: Actually, I went home to the Philippines because my father died. However, I was already planning to go home even though my six-year contract has not ended yet because there’s no increase on my wages. And so, I have decided to not go back.

Joshua: What is the current status/situation of the economic shutdown in Saudi Arabia?

Angelito: There are more companies shutting down unlike before but for some companies who does not shutdown, the salary of the workers does not increase.

Joshua: Do you have any plans of going back there and to work?

Angelito: I don’t want the idea of going back there, if given the chance I’d rather go to other countries.

Joshua: Are you aware that Department of Labor (DOLE) has taken various actions to address the problems that OFWs are facing due to the economic crisis on the said country? What can you say about it?

Angelito: Mabagal. Lalo yung mga nasa Riyadh at Jeddah, ‘di sila makapag-pauwi agad. Mabagal talaga.

Joshua: Did it cross your mind to approach DOLE and the other government agencies and ask for any help to start again for you to get a new job?

Angelito: No.

Joshua: Why, Sir?

Angelito: Mahirap din kasing umasa sa ganun. Meron naman akong konting naipon. Yun na lang ang ginagamit ko sa ngayon.

Joshua: What did you feel when the news came about the plight of OFWs due to the economic crisis that Saudi Arabia is dealing with?

Angelito: Ang pakiramdam namin parang babagsak na yung kompanya namin lalo na yung mga nasa mababang pwesto.

Joshua: What is your reaction upon the livelihood programs that DOLE was launching for those who were affected of this issue?

Angelito: Parang nito lang nagkaroon ng ganyan. Bago pa lang yan kasi nitong umuwi ako, wala pang ganyan. Wala pa silang masyadong pinansyal na tulong.

Digging deeper

It is evident that economic shutdown in one’s country affects various company that results to a greater need of manpower but does not increase the workers’ wages. For OFWs being away from your loved ones is difficult. How much more if these OFWs can’t provide their family’s needs? Imagine having problems at the same time, it must be a torture.

With skill, courage, and their love for their family as their capital, blood, sweat, and tears to boost their capabilities, OFWs strive harder for a brighter future not only for their own family but also for our country. We call them the modern-day heroes of the present time but do they deserve being sent back to our country without anything?

With the unstoppable issues and inevitable crisis of OFWs, it should be remembered that the positive influence that these contemporary heroes has tattooed in our society is perfectly crafted. We should not underestimate the amount of time they have spent working overseas just to provide all the needs and wants of their respective families.

Deciphering the bracket of struggles they are dealing with, may we not belittle them just because they lose their jobs. Let us defy the stereotypes labeled to them and encourage them to keep on sailing amidst the storm. After all, it is not always about smooth sailing. Sometimes, tsunamis can wake up the sleeping hope within us.

Written by: Cawaling, Nicole Mae

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