Solon calls on gov’t to look into plight of OFWs in Saudi

A party-list lawmaker yesterday called on the Aquino government to take a closer look at the plight of Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia many of whom are suffering from unhealthy working conditions.

According to Democratic Independent Worker’s Association (DIWA) Party-list Rep. Emmeline Aglipay, the Filipinos are braved leaving their families to look for jobs elsewhere, yet most of whom are also being confronted by financial problems in their places of work particularly in Saudi Arabia where some 25 percent of the 1.8 million Filipinos have complained of delayed and unpaid salaries.

Aside from the unpaid or delayed salaries, the OFWs have also complained that they are overworked and maltreated.

“Twenty percent of these workers have complained that they were either overworked or maltreated,” Aglipay said.

The lady lawmaker said that most of the victims of these unfair practices are the household service workers and the non-skilled workers.

Aglipay cited 2010 records of the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh that almost all distressed OFWs are non-skilled workers and household service workers (HSW).

“The domestic helpers are the most vulnerable workers in Saudi Arabia since they are specifically exempted from Saudi Labor Law. Upon talking to the women at the shelters, they have reported that they are frequently physically abused by their employers, or locked in a room and made to go out only when they are to work,” Aglipay said.

“Some are even made to work until 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. and even some until 6 a.m.when the morning prayers are over. Some aren’t given any food,” she said.

Aglipay said that the process of “rescuing” the OFWs is tedious and could take weeks and months to finish under the present circumstances in Saudi Arabia.

“The problem is that Saudi law requires that an exit visa be secured before anyone, living or dead, is allowed to leave. There are employers who refuse to sign the exit visa of the employees,” she said.

“The more difficult cases of repatriation are the undocumented cases when the embassy has to negotiate for their repatriation,” she said. –Gerry Baldo, Daily Tribune