Pinoys’ deportation delayed
KUWAIT CITY : The deportation of the seven Filipino truck drivers who were accused of allegedly leading a protest in one of the trucking companies in Kuwait last month was called off on Sunday due to the non-cancellation of their work visas on their passports, disclosed on Monday Philippine Labour Attache Leopoldo De Jesus to the Arab Times. He informed that the seven Filipino workers were already on their way to the airport on Sunday night when they were informed by authorities that they have to go back to the deportation centre since the company did not cancel their work permits at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour.
Fly
“Hopefully, they can fly anytime within this week as soon as the cancellation process has been done and the rebooking of their air tickets,” pointed out De Jesus. He added that five of the seven workers received all their termination benefits from their company while the two workers authorised the Philippine Overseas Labour Office to claim the benefits on their behalf. “We tried our best to help them so they can be freed and continue with their jobs but we have to abide by the law of Kuwait and respect the decision of Kuwaiti authorities,” stressed De Jesus. It may be recalled that these seven workers were arrested for allegedly instigating their co-workers to stage a sit-in protest that led to a commotion between the workers and the police that partly damaged one of the police cars.Why are they deporting only the Filipinos? They were not the ones who damaged the car. They were inside the police car when the other workers swarmed into the vehicle and damaged its windows. Why put the blame only on the Filipinos? How about the other nationals” lamented one of the truck drivers who pities the seven Filipino workers.
About 400 workers mostly truck drivers of various nationalities namely Filipinos, Indians, Egyptians, Nepalese, Bangladeshi and Pakistanis participated in the mass action on April 16 to demand from the c ompany an increase in their basic salary from KD 100-110 to KD 250 per month and an increase in their per trip allowance due to the hike in the prices of basic commodities in Kuwait and the low foreign exchange rate. Most of the truck drivers who ply to Iraq demanded an increase in the per trip allowance from KD 10 to KD 40 while those who ply within Kuwait demanded an increase from KD 3 to KD 15 per trip. De Jesus earlier met with the management who vowed to look into the workers’ demands. Most of the truck drivers resume work as they wait for the decision of the company to act on their demands.By Michelle Fe Santiago
Special to the Arab Times
How dare foreigners allegedly protest their conditions of slavery. Just deport the alleged troublemakers, if we can sort out their paperwork... and we all know that those pesky Pinoys are pretty bolshie when they get treated poorly. You couldn't make up this farce if you tried.
5 comments:
Have you ever looked at the other side of the story? All you do is label Filipinos as "pesky" and "bolshie" (as if Filipinos even know what "bolshie" means) without knowing the plight of the overseas Filipino workers. No, I don't believe their protests against slavery are ALLEGED. Filipinos will not protest if they're treated well.
See this article for yourself:
‘Brutality’ vs 6 Filipino workers in Kuwait hit
By Jerome Aning
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 18:13:00 04/22/2008
MANILA, Philippines -- A Hong Kong-based migrant rights group Tuesday called on the Kuwaiti government to release six overseas Filipino workers who allegedly led a rally of 400 truck workers that was dispersed by policemen last April 19.
In a statement, the Asia Pacific Migrants Mission said it “deplored the police crackdown and brutality” committed by Kuwait authorities on the striking workers of Al Jassim Trucking Co. in Kuwait.
The six OFWs, according to APMM managing director Ramon Bultron, were forcibly taken by the police at around 5 p.m. on April 19 in the company compound because they were the alleged leaders of the strike.
One OFW named Mario Mesinas was reportedly beaten up by the police inside their patrol car, according to Bultron.
Aside from Mesinas, other OFWs who were nabbed were identified by APMM as Jose Bugnot, Jolito Bawaan, Jonathan Abad, Eduardo Barali and Joel Buenaventura.
APMM said Al Jassim delivers fuel and other supplies to US forces in Iraq. The workers had just come back from a dialogue with the Philippine Embassy about their problems together with more than 40 others on the day of the incident.
“Because the police dragged the six arrested Filipinos, most of the workers who come from six nationalities were forced to fight back at the police,” Bultron recounted, citing a report of APMM’s affiliate groups in Kuwait.
“The police responded with truncheons. A certain Indian worker named Surjitran was accidentally run over by a vehicle and the police had to rush in reinforcements in 30 police cars,” Bultron said.
APMM demanded that the OFWs be released from police custody, that charges be brought up against any police officer who beat up any of workers, and that the injured Indian employee be compensated.
“We also strongly urge that the legitimate demands of the workers be granted,” the group said.
APMM also scored the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait for not being able to do anything about the arrests and for not being able to locate the whereabouts of the six until only Monday.
“We also condemn the Embassy for just telling the workers that all that they can do is reprimand the placement agency but cannot do anything against the employer considering that they deploy Filipino drivers to Iraq which is supposedly banned to Filipinos,” Bultron said.
He added the Philippine diplomats also told the OFWs in Al Jassim not to listen to the workers of the other nationalities who want to continue the strike forgetting that majority of those nabbed by the police were Filipino citizens.
The main demands of the workers are to increase their salary from 100 -110 Kuwaiti dinars (US$380-416) to 250KD (US$947) per month and an increase of their per trip allowance, with travel to Iraq, from 10KD (US$38) to 40KD (US$151), and local trips from 3KD (US$11) – 15KD (US$57).
The workers, according to APMM were calling for an increase in their basic wages and allowances because of the steep rise in prices of basic necessities in Kuwait and the reduction by more than 20 percent in remittance value of their wage when converted into their local currencies.
Al Jassim included 100 Filipinos, 200 Indians, 20 Egyptians, 50 Nepalis, 20 Bangladeshis and 20 Pakistanis.
Bultron said that earlier this year the Kuwait government approved an additional 150KD (US$568) to the social fund of Kuwaiti families and 50KD (US$189) to expatriates working in the public sector. Expatriates who comprise 98 percent or the backbone of the workforce as blue and white collar workers in the private sector did not even get a single file.
Al Jassim is only willing to grant 10KD (US$38) per trip allowance when their workers reach a quota of seven trips per day. Bultron said the workers contended that this was impossible to attain as they can only accomplish three to four local trips per day and a trip to Iraq can last a maximum of five days.
Other than this, drivers who are sent to Iraq are not covered by any insurance given that this is a high risk job and they can be ambushed and even be taken hostages by Iraqi insurgents.
The workers, Bultron said, were also demanding:
• hazard insurance when assigned to Iraq
• meal allowance of 40KD (US$151) per month
• free air tickets to and from Kuwait as stated in their original employment contracts
• cleaner and safer accommodations
• availability of drinking water in the loading areas and dormitories
• cafeteria in dormitory
• telephone facilities in the dormitory
• abolition of deductions in their pay when they are involved in accidents and incidents
• detailed description of deductions in their pay slips
• and transportation services to and from work sites and during emergencies
Bultron said the company was also intimidating the workers and has hired scabs in the administration department and some drivers with a basic pay of 270KD (US$1,022) a month.
“In effect they can hire somebody in the company and pay them at a higher wage what their original workers are asking for,” he said.
The rising number of distressed OFWs in the Middle East led the OFW group Migrante International to propose Tuesday that Congress send a fact-finding mission in aid of legislation to the region.
The group said that “conducting fact finding missions and other related activities are a helpful venue to put an end to the slow process of repatriation observed in most of Philippine posts abroad especially in the Middle East notwithstanding the legal impediment imposed by the host governments where diplomatic route could be undertaken. “
In a statement, Nhel Morona, secretary general of Migrante-United Arab Emirates, said senators and representatives should see first hand the worsening situation of OFWs languishing at the deportation centers of host countries as well as shelters run by Philippine embassies in the Middle East.
Migrante said a total of 2,000 OFWs in UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan and Lebanon are awaiting repatriation, as they remain in immigration jails or embassy shelters .
Migrante’ Middle East coordinator, John Leonard Monterona, who is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, said he observed that Philippine officials abroad “often turn to sugar-coated reports on the real conditions of OFWs in deportation centers and Philippine resource centers to cover-up their inefficient and abandoning lip service to OFWs in distress.”
In a separate statement, Monterona said the chance visit of Senator Manny Villar in Philippine Embassy in Jordan where the lawmaker himself found the three minors who were smuggled to work illegally in Jordan and thus he arranged for their immediate repatriation and arrived Monday along with other stranded.
Migrante is “much willing” to assist and be part of the fact finding team to be formed jointly by the Senate committee on labor and House committee on overseas workers affairs, Monterona said.
He added that it would be better if the Commission on Human Rights could be a part of the fact finding team, adding that migrant rights are part and parcel of the broader human rights’ concerns and the CHR recommendations may be considered a valuable input in coming up with a legislation where protection and promotion of OFWs rights is clearly guaranteed.
Copyright 2008 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
P.S. I'm from the Philippines.
Obviously, my attempt at sarcasm didn't work. I understand the plight of OFW's, and I think we're in agreement. If you view the other articles on my blog you will see where I am coming from. Actually, I have a lot of respect for Filipinos and others that stand up for their human rights against the slave-owners that mistreat them.
I think more publicity is required back in their home countries so overseas workers can understand the situations they will undoubtedly face in the Gulf. But more importantly to also put pressure on Kuwait and other Gulf countries to tidy up their act, through education of the local populace, enacting legislation that supports human rights and doesn't further entrench racism, sexism and any other type of discimination, and implementing or enforcing the rule of law.
I am a Filipino in Saudi Arabia and I like your two words which I only encountered today " Pesky,
bolshie". I am a blogger too, I have five blogs but my english is intermediate.
Honestly I am hurt when somebody said bad words against us because we have done too much sacrifice to our country because of Philippines Government doing which are graft and corruption.
We are present around the world and many countries trust us when it comes to work quality. Filipinos are known for being friendly, loving and hospitable. Racist in fact does not exist in my country.
I wish not agree on it. I regard as nice post. Especially the title attracted me to be familiar with the intact story.
Genial dispatch and this enter helped me alot in my college assignement. Thank you as your information.
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