OFWs in Maldives to receive delayed pay

The erstwhile delayed salaries would be given soon to the 300 Filipino construction workers in Maldives, the Department of Foreign Affairs reported over the weekend.

The Foreign Affairs department issued the statement after reports came out that the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are not getting their wages on time and are made to take a bath with dirty water in Maldives as disclosed by Sen. Manny Villar.

“The manning agency admitted that there was a delay in the payment of the workers only for the month of June, but these are now being prepared and will be remitted to their designated beneficiaries in the Philippines within two weeks,” the department said.

“The employer in Maldives assured that the salaries will be updated within the same period,” it added.

The Philippine Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh, has been tasked to extend assistance to Filipinos deployed in Maldives, who have allegedly complained of sub-standard working conditions, as well as to immediately contact their employer and their manning agency on the matter.

The Philippines is represented in Maldives by an Honorary Consul. Embassy officials regularly visit Maldives to check on the welfare and work condition of Filipino workers on the islands.

The case of the 300 Filipinos in Maldives marked the first time that the manning agency, citing its letter to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), received such complaint after having deployed more than 300 construction workers in Maldives.

In the same letter, the department also clarified reports that the workers drink rainwater and take a bath using unsafe water.

“Since [the construction site] is on an island, they are using desalinated water and rain water duly treated and for their cooking and drinking,” the agency wrote. — Llanesca T. Panti, Manila Times