Saudi firm vows to address concerns of 111 OFWs

Representatives from a big Saudi Arabian contracting firm have assured the Philippine government that they are currently working to address the plight of the 111 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Dammam who were caught in the middle of a protest action following delays in their salaries.

This development surfaced after officials of the Philippine embassy in Riyadh and Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) met recently with representatives of the Saudi Ministry of Labor and Social Development (MLSD) office in Saudi’s eastern region to discuss the situation of the Filipino workers of Azmeel Contracting Company.

The 111 Filipino workers are currently in temporary shelters while their situation is being resolved, according to the Embassy report.

Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Adnan Alonto met with MLSD officials, led by AbdulRahman bin Fahd Almuqbel, as well as representatives from Azmeel to find ways and means to address the workers concerns.

Among the complaints raised by the Filipino workers were the unpaid salaries, penalties for non-renewal of iqamas, non-issuance of iqamas, non-granting of vacation leave, and non-granting of final exit visas.

According to the MLSD officials, they are monitoring the situation and said they are committed to helping the workers of the company since Azmeel has had a good previous track record.