Libya companies have been known for dodgy and often violated Working agreements. It’s good to see this situation was mostly resolved, many take a much longer time or aren’t properly resolved allowing these corrupt companies to continue with no restraint.
Submitted by AliceWonderland42 on Thu, 11/19/2009 - 07:52.122 OFWs claim employer violated their contract
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 07/04/2009 10:30 AM
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More than a hundred Filipino overseas workers employed by a construction company in Libya issued a complaint against their employer for labor malpractices and violation of contracts.
John Leonard Monterona, regional coordinator of Migrante-Middle East, said his office received a complaint from 122 OFWs working for the M/s. Aleskan Construction Company in Libya last June 23.
In an 8-paged signed complaint, the workers alleged that their employer forced them to sign a new contract with different salary upon their arrival to Libya.
“But when they arrived in Libya, they are forced to sign a new contract that stipulates a reduction of their salary to 250 Libyan Dollar in a flat rate,” Monterona said.
The new contract, Monterona said, gave the workers flat rate instead with no overtime pay.
“Until now, they have not been given their salary equivalent to 2 months,” said Monterona.
Also, the Filipino workers complained that they were provided unsanitary living accommodation and experienced poor working condition with no safety and health provision.
The OFWs were deployed by batches during April 2009 by Bison Management Corporation Philippines. They were supposed to work for another company but were instead sent to the Aleskan firm with its project in Benghazi.
The workers alleged that the firm does not have a company nurse or a medical staff to look after their health. Some of the medicines provided to sick workers are already expired.
“Some of their sick companions were forced to seek help from the Filipino community to give them medical care and attention which their company failed to provide,” he said.
They cited the case of a co-worker who was confined in a hospital in Benghazi and was once visited by an official of the Philippine Embassy.
“They 122 OFWs also complained of having no stand-by emergency vehicle at their camp and work site; they’re were not given their personal protective equipment such as hard hat, hand gloves, safety belts for overhead works, no dark glasses, and most of all no potable water at the work site working under the very heat of the sun,” Monterona added.
They said the Philippine Embassy in Libya knew about their condition. Three consular visitations were conducted where the workers aired their problems.
“It seems that our RP officials in Libya are already immune to the complaints of our Filipino workers, thus they are not acting on it. If that so, that is gross disregard to their responsibility and duty as officials who are supposed and expected to provide assistance to our OFWs in distress,” Monterona said.
“They certainly did not deserve any day or longer to stay in Libya, as they are just wasting our taxpayer’s money and huge OFWs remittances siphoned by the government, thus keeping the economy afloat,” Monterona added.
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