Jobless in Jeddah and no repatriation in sight yet

Days after their resignation went into effect, more than 20 machine operators in Saudi Arabia have yet to be repatriated and their recruitment agency still has to pay for their booked tickets. Worse, the resigned workers claimed that their employer, Jeddah-based Arabian Gulf Manufacturing Ltd., has threatened to file a case against them for refusing to return to work. The Filipino workers earlier filed their resignation letter effective June 20 and demanded their immediate repatriation, following unanswered complaints such as contract substitution, reduced salaries, non-payment of overtime work and illegal salary deductions. (See: Resigned Pinoy workers in Jeddah seek repatriation) In an interview with GMANews.TV, a male worker who declined to be identified said they have received notice that they will all be repatriated by batches, starting June 27 when five workers are supposed to be sent home. However, a local travel agency informed them that the tickets have yet to be paid as of June 24 — the deadline of payment for the booked tickets. “If the tickets would not be paid by the deadline, the travel agency said they will have to cancel the booking and we’ll start all over again," the worker said. The workers’ Manila-based recruitment agency, Armstrong Resources Corp., is supposed to shoulder the workers’ airfare. The worker added that they have also refused to be repatriated by batches, fearing that those who are left behind might be compelled by the company to continue working even if they are already deemed resigned. “They promised they will pay us if we work even if we are resigned, but we doubt that given our previous experience with them," he explained. Company forcing them to return to work The company earlier required the workers to present their tickets two days before their resignation’s effective date. Since they were unable to do so, the company is forcing them to return to work, or else be charged for failure to return to work, resulting in loss of income for the company. Labor Attaché Vicente Cabe said the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh is ready to defend the workers. “The workers’ resignation was effective June 20. If the company charges them for work stoppage, we have something to defend them with because they are now deemed resigned," Cabe said in an interview. He is scheduled to meet with representatives of the company before Saudi Arabia’s labor office over the weekend, to inform them of the workers’ demand that they all be repatriated on the same date. Meanwhile, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said the machine operators' agency has made a commitment to pay for the workers’ airfare and has given them a schedule for their repatriation by batch until July. Deputy administrator Hans Leo Cacdac, however, admitted they his office was unable to confirm if indeed the tickets have already been paid. “If we find out that the agency lied to us, we will file administrative cases against them and disallow them from sending workers abroad," Cacdac said in another interview. He admitted that POEA was unaware of the workers’ refusal to be repatriated by batch, but said he will ask the agency to “speed up the repatriation of the workers." Charges vs company still pending Meanwhile, Cabe explained that other charges against the company pertaining to labor violations are pending before the Saudi labor office and are the subject of hearings. The complaining workers originally numbered 88, but only 26 decided to resign while the rest continued working for the company while waiting for the resolution of their complaints. Of the 26, one recently arranged his repatriation by paying for his own ticket while another decided to go back to work. The resigned workers awaiting repatriation, now down to 24, remain in a company-provided facility. On June 22, the worker who requested anonymity said they have stopped receiving their daily ration of food. “We fear that soon, we will also be asked to leave our accommodation and we will have nowhere to go," the worker said. As of posting time, the owner of Armstrong Resources Corp., listed by the POEA as a certain Danilo Besa, could not be reached for comment on the matter.—JV, GMANews.TV