RIYADH, 7 November 2004 — Under fire for its move to terminate the services of all 41 non-diplomatic staff of the Philippine mission in Saudi Arabia, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Manila has said it is open to rehiring some of the workers.
Labor Attaché Alberto Abalayan, in charge of the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLOs) in the Central Region, said the DOLE has issued a new directive allowing the mission to rehire those who wish to continue working, subject to certain conditions.
Abalayan said Administrative Order 244-A, an amendment to the previous order (AO 224) that terminated all non-diplomatic staff, applies to POLOs all over the world.
AO 224 provides for the replacement of non-diplomatic staff by regular DOLE staff from the Philippines to give them more exposure and to have greater accountability in rendering service to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).
But the move came under criticism especially in Saudi Arabia, where some of the staff were hired because of their knowledge of Arabic and the local law and customs.
Attaché Abalayan said the new AO now allows the rehiring of drivers and interpreters from the non-diplomatic staff.
“Four interpreters will be needed in Riyadh, two in Jeddah, one in Alkhobar and one in the Central Region. One driver will also be needed each in Riyadh, Jeddah and Alkhobar,” he said.
Abalayan explained, however, that the new AO provides that soon-to-be-terminated staff have to meet certain qualifications to be rehired. The interpreters should be bachelor’s degree holders; speak, read and write the local language and proficient in translating official and technical documents from Arabic to English; computer-literate; and must have two years’ experience as translators and interpreters (oral and written).
The drivers must be holders of a valid driver’s license in the host country; familiar with the locality or vicinity within their areas of assignment; and have work or residence permit required by the Kingdom.
Since Saudi Arabia is classified as medium-cost post, interpreters will receive $1,408 per month while drivers will receive $650 .
“The above compensation shall constitute the totality of wage and benefits due to the interpreters and drivers for services rendered to the POLO and as may be authorized by the Labor Code of the Philippines, including provisions for social security benefits and pro-rated 13th month or 1/12 of the basic monthly pay, subject to the rules and regulations of the Philippine Commission on Audit,” said Abalayan.
He added that during their tenure, the interpreters and drivers shall have no employer-employee relationship with the DOLE shall not be subject to the pertinent Civil Service Commission rules and shall not enjoy the benefits enjoyed by government employees.