Eric Jocson, chairperson of KGS-Migrante, said the eight OFWs asked for help in securing their friends’ release. “The five OFWs had earlier been apprehended at their company-provided accommodation by police after their employer reported them to have gone on strike,” Jocson said in an e-mail to Arab News.
Before this, the distressed workers filed a complaint with the Philippine Overseas Labor Office against their employer.
Jocson said the OFWs complained of being made to work for more than eight hours a day, but they had not been paid for the overtime.
“They were not also issued with protective equipment before working and forced to finish their work. Otherwise, two days' salary would be deducted from their monthly paycheck,” he said.
Jocson added that on Sept. 15, their employer asked the 13 OFWs to sign an agreement saying that they were intending to go on strike. However, they refused to sign. “On Saturday, at about 2 p.m., the police arrested five of the 13 OFWs,” Jocson said, adding that KGS-Migrante had informed the Philippine Embassy about the incident.
John Leonard Monterona, Migrante Middle East regional coordinator, said the five workers should be released from jail.
“Complaining about an employer's malpractice does not constitute a violation of Saudi labor law. It should be the employer who should be put behind bars,” he said.
Monterona added that his group had already requested the Philippine Embassy to represent the detained OFWs so that they could be released.
“We have been calling on the Philippine government to arrange a bilateral agreement with the Kingdom for the protection of OFWs,” he said.
