Filipinos who want to work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) may troop to the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLO) in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Al-Khobar, which will resume accepting job offers by November 7 after the government lifted the worker deployment ban there in September.
“We will not hastily lift the Saudi deployment ban without a clear and strong foundation for the protection of our workers,” Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan Ople said Friday in a hybrid media briefing.
Ople said a delegation from Saudi Arabia’s human resources department is expected to arrive in the Philippines next week to discuss other topics such as labor issues, wages, automation of payment for OFWs, and the unpaid claims of thousands of OFWs since 2016, among others.
“We seek everyone’s cooperation especially that of stakeholders in ensuring that the reopening of the Saudi labor market this Monday will be smooth, safe, and fair to everyone concerned, especially our OFWs,” she said.
According to the DMW, a total of 189,826 newly hired overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were deployed to KSA in 2019, of which 37,278 are domestic workers and cleaners, while 152,548 were employed in construction and other occupational skills.
Following months of bilateral talks, Ople said the Philippines and Saudi Arabia agreed on “first-time” reforms in labor policies for migrant work.
They include a new Saudi-specific employment contract with insurance coverage for domestic workers and skilled workers covering unpaid salaries, airfare, and refund of recruitment costs in case of unfinished contracts and other contingencies.
The Saudi government will shoulder the insurance cost for skilled workers, while Saudi employers are mandated to pay for the insurance coverage of Filipino domestic workers.
It also includes a pre-termination clause in the contract that would specifically allow a domestic worker to transfer to or change employers before the end of the contract based on certain grounds, such as the non-payment of salary and cases of abuse/maltreatment.
The countries also adopted a joint alternative dispute settlement mechanism that would pave the way for a more transparent, fair, and amicable settlement of employment disputes.
It also provides for the integration of the contract, and implementation of the Wage Protection Program, which will regulate and ensure the timely payment of wages to all OFWs.
Finally, direct referrals of cases involving the trafficking and exploitation of OFWs will go to KSA’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) through its anti-human trafficking department.
Likewise, the DMW presented the highlights of the new standard employment contract for OFWs in KSA. Including provision for the time and manner of payment of monthly salary through a Saudi government-owned digital wallet; contract insurance;
Duty to provide health care in accordance with Saudi laws; paid sick leave for 30 days; explicit prohibition to withhold possession of a passport, iqama, and other personal documents; and repatriation at the employer’s expense in the event of a pandemic or other analogous circumstances.
Meanwhile, DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia announced the release of a guideline for a watchlist of blacklisted and whitelisted participating private recruitment agencies, foreign recruitment agencies, and KSA employers to “set criteria on who can participate” in the resumption of deployment of OFWs in Saudi.
“The whitelist requires that only agencies with good records can apply. They are those who are compliant with the rules and regulations, promote ethical and fair recruitment, and are willing to help OFWs with their problems in the workplace. We will recognize agencies approved by the MHRSD,” Olalia said.
“By reason of this implementation ng whitelist at blacklist, we hope abused or distressed OFWs will be a thing of the past,” he added.
Applying OFWs can access the watchlist on the agency’s website and official Facebook page, the DMW added.
DMW Undersecretary for Finance and Internal Affairs Maria Anthonette Velasco-Allones said the agency is prepared to send augmentation teams to assist the labor attaches in verifying contracts, providing welfare assistance, and leading information drives on the joint labor reform initiatives and the department’s digitalization program.
In November 2021, the Philippines imposed a deployment ban on household service workers due to unpaid salaries of OFWs in Saudi Arabia.
MHRSD Minister Ahmad bin Sulaiman Al Rajhi, for his part, said KSA will work with the Philippine government to ensure the protection of the welfare and rights of OFWs in his country.
“Please tell them that we will work together to have an excellent relationship, to improve the labor market, and make sure that they have well-protected rights,” said the Minister in a text message to Ople.