100 foreign workers join striking OFWs

MANILA, Philippines — Around 100 migrants of other nationalities have joined the 200 Filipino workers who staged a job stoppage in different job site for alleged labor malpractices of their employer, Al Arab Company based in Saudi Arabia, a migrant workers’ group disclosed said today.

John Leonard Monterona, Migrante Middle East regional coordinator, said a number of Pakistanis, Bangladeshi, Indians, Nepalis and Chinese  workers have supported the strike of the Filipino workers.

The strike was staged by Filipino workers composedof engineers, supervisors, and laborers last Feb. 6.

Four days before the strike, the Filipino workers sent a letter to the firm’s human resources manager, complaining of delay in the release of their salaries, contract substitution, and non-payment of their overtime work.

“This action is not solely for the benefit of the Filipinos but for other nationalities also that are experiencing the same problem. We want to have a better employer-employee relationship and to continuously render our humble services to this company as long as these issues are going to be settled the soonest time possible,” the strikers said in their letter.

But instead of sitting down with the workers, the company even threatened to deport the workers who have joined the strike, according to a Riyadh-based member organization of Migrante, Kapatiran sa Gitnang Silangan.

“We are now closely coordinating with the families and relatives of the 200 striking OFWs so that they too could help their respective troubled OFWs in Saudi Arabia who have stopped working for 4 days now and together stage protest actions in the Philippines in support of their loved ones struggle for fair labor practices, rights and welfare,” Monterona said. –Dennis Carcamo (philstar.com)