Baldoz sends execs to Saudi to help OFWs in trouble

Labor Secretary Rosa­linda Dimapilis-Baldoz yesterday ordered Labor Undersecretary Ciriaco A. Lagunzad III and Overseas Workers Welfare Admin­istration (Owwa) Director Albert Valenciano to leave immediately for Saudi Arabia and assist Philippine Over­seas Labor Office (POLO) officials in Riyadh and Jeddah in negotiating for the salaries and benefits, as well as for the release and exit, if necessary, of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) working in compa­nies experiencing financial troubles. She also directed them to meet with executives of the companies and with their Filipino workers.

“There are two compa­nies that we have specifically in mind with a large concen­tration of OFWs and who have been reported to be in financial dire straits—Saudi Oger Ltd. and Saudi Bin La­din Group. Both have been experiencing difficulties in paying for the salaries and benefits of some OFWs,” said Baldoz.

“I don’t want their in­ability to meet their financial obligation affect our OFWs longer than they already had, so I have directed Undersec­retary Lagunzad and Director Valenciano to visit Saudi Arabia to press this point to the employers,” she added.

Last week, Labor At­tachés Restituto dela Fuente and Jainal Rasul Jr. reported that construction con­glomerate Saudi Oger Ltd., which employs 8,757 OFWs Saudi Arabia—1,407 alone in its construction division in Jeddah and Western Saudi Arabia, and 1,667 in its main­tenance division—is facing cases before the Saudi labor court for the unpaid salaries of some of its workers.

“Some of these cases have been recurring since last year, even before the global oil-price downturn.

Some Saudi Oger work­ers, specifically those in its construction division, have been experiencing delays in their salaries that are not oil price decline-related, although the company has had lesser difficulty paying workers with salaries of 5,000 Saudi Riyals and below,” said the labor attaches in their report to Baldoz.

They said this is one of the reasons some OFWs working in Saudi Oger are not renewing their contracts, have decided to transfer to other companies, or have decided to come home.

At present, the POLO officials reported there are a number of OFWs who have decided to stop working while waiting for their exit visas and end-of-service benefits, but they have since resumed work.

They also said 300 more OFWs have opted to be repatriated, or to transfer employment; and the POLOs in Riyadh and Jeddah are as­sisting 113 more OFWs who have filed complaints against their employer with the Saudi labor court.

Informed that Saudi Oger is yet to repatriate 43 OFWs whose contracts have ended, Baldoz said she had instructed Lagunzad to assist the POLOs in fast-tracking the repatriation of the 43, as well as other OFWs who would like to leave Saudi Arabia.

Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) records show that to­tal deployment to Saudi Oger between 2014 and 2015 was only 4,837. Of this number, 96 percent were deployed in 2014. The deployment in 2015 was less, reaching only 176 OFWs.

Because of this, Baldoz has directed the POLO in Jeddah and Riyadh and the POEA to stop the deploy­ment of OFWs to Saudi Oger and the Saudi Bin Ladin Group if the two companies could not quickly settle their problems with their workers.

This, even if the POLOs reported that the Saudi Oger management announced through a letter to all its em­ployees that starting March, all salaries will be paid before the end of the month and all outstanding unpaid salaries will be paid progressively.

It also said it is not ter­minating its employees, but merely plans to transfer them in certain divisions as part of its three-fold strategy.

Baldoz noted this devel­opment, and said Lagunzad and Valenciano should see to it that this commitment is fulfilled.

“Saudi law imposes heavy fines on companies not paying their workers’ salaries,” she said. She also directed Lagunzad and Valen­ciano to tap the government’s repatriation fund and the ex­isting repatriation insurance to bring the Pinoy workers of the two companies home.

Suicide

Meanwhile, Labor Attaché dela Fuente recently reported to Baldoz an apparent suicide of an OFW working at Saudi Oger in Riyadh.

In his report, dela Fuente said the OFW was a welder at Saudi Oger’s building materi­als trading company (BMTC).

“He was reportedly found dead at 5:30 a.m. on Feb. 29 at a BMTC workshop, about a kilometer from the deceased OFW’s accommo­dation at Oger’s Al Qadisiya Camp in Riyadh, KSA. His co-workers said the deceased appeared to have committed suicide, but the Riyadh police is yet to release the results of its investigation,” dela Fuente said.

The deceased’s brother, also an OFW working at one of Saudi Oger’s contractors, is with him at present,” said the labor official.

Baldoz instructed dela Fuente to coordinate with the Philippine Embassy there and Saudi authorities to fast track the repatriation of the remains of the OFW and the payment by Saudi Oger of all his benefits as an employee.

She also directed Owwa Rebecca Calzado to facili­tate the payment of all the benefits due the OFW and his family.

The deceased was an ac­tive Owwa member. As such, his family shall be entitled to a P200,000 death insurance, if the cause of death is an accident or P100,000 if the cause of death is self-inflicted; and P20,000 burial assistance.

His dependents can also avail themselves of Owwa scholarships and family members may also avail themselves of the Owwa livelihood assistance.