Saudi Arabia will compensate 10,000 Filipino workers who lost their jobs in the Gulf country years ago and are still waiting for their salaries, Philippine officials said.
The announcement came after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos met on Friday on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit in Bangkok.
Philippine Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople said the compensation package of two billion riyals (RM2.4bil) ) would “help our displaced workers”.
It was unclear if unpaid workers from other countries would also receive some of the money.
“This is very good news. He (Prince Mohammed) told me this is their gift to us,” Marcos said.
Saudi Arabia plunged into economic crisis in 2015 following a sharp decline on oil prices, leading construction companies to lay off tens of thousands of workers.
Saudi officials took legal action on behalf of unpaid employees from the Philippines and other Asian countries in an effort to recover their wages.
“I’m pretty sure that this gesture will somehow give them hope and will make up for so many years of anguish and disappointment,” Ople said.
The Philippines earlier this month resumed the deployment of domestic workers to Saudi Arabia following a year-long ban.
Manila had stopped sending of household workers to the kingdom after reports emerged of abuse and unpaid wages.
Both countries have agreed to boost protective measures for migrants. Among other things, workers will be allowed to quit before the end of their contracts if their employer is abusive, and insurance coverage will be provided for unpaid wages. — AFP
