Overseas Workers Welfare Administration have secured a written deal with Saudi-based construction firm Azmeel Contracting Corporation for the release of the unpaid salaries of its more than 1,400 Filipino workers.
“Nagkaroon po ng written agreement in terms of unang-una, pagbayad ng mga sahod at mga benepisyo ng mga manggagawa,” OWWA administrator Hans Leo Cacdac told radio DZMM.
He said the delayed salaries will be released in tranches but in the mean time, the OWWA will give some Php4,000 to the distressed workers and another Php15,000 to their families.
Cacdac also expressed OWWA’s willingness to secure exit visas for those who want to go home and provide Php20,000 worth of livelihood assistance and scholarships for displaced employees’ children.
However, some OFWs are hesitant to return to the Philippines, according to Azmeel employee Julius Bacay.
“Nagdadalawang-isip kami. Pagdating namin d’yan, hindi naman kami magkakaroon agad ng trabaho o kaya ay magkatrabaho man, syempre, ang mahal na ng bilihin,” he shared in DZMM interview.
Earlier, 150 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) flocked to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Alkhobar, Saudi Arabia to plead for assistance in claiming their unpaid salaries.
