POLO help sought for 13 abandoned OFWs in KSA

A militant migrant workers' advocacy group asked Philippine authorities in the Kingdom Saudi Arabia (KSA) Friday to help 13 Filipino workers allegedly abandoned by their employer. The Kapatiran sa Gitnang Silangan (KGS) said the officials will ask the previous company owner, Saeed bin Salman, to intercede on behalf of the workers. “We approached [the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Riyadh] for help last Tuesday because the new owner of the company had asked the 13 Filipinos to vacate their [employer-provided] accommodations, saying that it will be occupied by new staff," KGS chairman Eric Jocson said in an interview posted on Arab News Friday. Jocson said that while the previous owner had asked the new owner to give the 13 Filipinos seven days to find a place where they could stay, the new owner did not agree. Instead, he asked the Filipinos to vacate the place, he said. The KGS said it was to meet the Filipinos in Sulay district in Riyadh on Friday to discuss where they could stay. “There are quarters where they could stay temporarily. These belong to another company. However, this does not solve their problem," Jocson said. Also, he cited problems if the previous employer agrees to send the workers home. “Assuming that he agrees to send them home, the iqamas of some of these workers have expired, and there has been no move to renew them," he said. Migrante Middle East, an affiliate of KGS, said the Filipino workers have filed a case with a Saudi labor court against their employer who appeared at the past two hearings. “The third hearing will be on Sunday, and if the previous employer won’t appear again, Migrante and KGS will urge POLO to request the court to summon him and ask him to settle his obligations to the 13 workers who are now virtually stranded," said Migrante Middle East coordinator John Monterona. — LBG, GMA News