Labor officials discuss reforms for OFWs in KSA

Labor officials from the Philippines and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) discussed recent reforms in the Saudi labor system that will benefit overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) there.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz met with Saudi labor minister Adel Fakeih at the Palais des Nations in Geneva at the sidelines of the 100th International Labor Organization conference.

“With the greater cooperation already established between Philippine licensed recruitment agencies with employers in the Kingdom, the Philippines continues to see the (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) as a good OFW destination,” Baldoz said.

According to a news release posted on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) website Baldoz cited the need to improve the system of protection for low skilled workers, including household service workers, in both the Philippines and Saudi Arabia.

She said the “high level of relationship” between the Philippines and the KSA would foster greater cooperation in implementing labor programs between the two countries.

Reforms in KSA

Baldoz said Fakeih discussed with her the major series of reforms in the employment practices in the Kingdom, assuring her that Saudi Arabia had launched a “new era of change and progress” in the field of labor and employment.

“The new measures will benefit both Saudi Arabia and foreign workers, including OFWs, who constitute an important segment of the Saudi workforce,” she quoted him as saying.

Baldoz said the Saudi reforms the Fakeih cited include:

The recognition of “intermediary hiring firms” that will serve as sponsors and co-employers of workers and who will be responsible for the OFWs’ welfare and protection;

A mandatory, broad-range insurance for OFWs; the premium will be paid by employers;

A new remittance scheme for OFWs; and

The expansion of e-government facilities, an associated wage protection system, and better enforcement of existing regulations, including the establishment of 24/7 hotlines to receive workers’ complaints in various languages, including Tagalog.

Baldoz said she and Fakeih also discussed the salary of Filipino domestic workers in the Kingdom, the hiring of nurses, and the possible visit to the Philippines of the Saudi labor minister this year. – VVP, GMA News