DOLE Suspends Workers Applications for 4 KSA Employers

The processing of the Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) applications of workers bound to four watch-listed employers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has been suspended, according to DOLE-7 Labor Communication Officer Luchel Taniza.

Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Regional Center for Visayas Chief Evelia Durato during the Regional Coordinating Committee (RCC) meeting of DOLE-7 said they will be holding the processing of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who maybe newly-hired or workers-on-leave who are bound to four KSA-based companies.

Said companires are Mohammad Al Mojil Group (MMG), Mohammad Al Bargash Contracting (MHB Corporation), Saudi Bin Ladin Group (SBG, and Saudi Oger Limited (SOG).

Durato added that they received an advisory from their head office indicating recent verified reports which include hundreds of OFWs from said employers who have not been paid their salaries and have remained stranded in KSA.

“Considering the recent developments and concerns about the welfare of workers, these employers have been put on watch list. For the meantime, we will not process OEC applications of OFWs who are intending to go back to said employers,” she said.

This means that no workers will be deployed to said employers as of now.

Taniza added that the advisory has been disseminated to all POEA regional and extension offices  and to the Balik Manggagawa Assistance Center.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) issued an  advisory for the holding of deployment and processing of OECs for OFWs who will work in the Republic of South Sudan due to the country’s prevailing security situation, according to the overseas employment administration official.

Durato bared that DFA has raised the crisis alert level of South Sudan to alert level 4, which means either Mandatory Repatriation and/or Total Ban on OFW Deployment shall be put in place.

OEC is a requirement under POEA rules and regulations to ensure that OFWs are properly documented and protected.

Only OFWs are required to get an OEC, said Taniza. (rmn/jsme/PIA7-Cebu/DOLE-7)