Ople leads migrant workers dept. delegation to Saudi Arabia Dec. 6-10
Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople will leave for Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Dec. 6, to discuss wage claims of 10,000 Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who lost their jobs years ago.
Ople said Saturday she will also meet with OFWs living in shelters in Riyadh, Al Khobar and Jeddah. The delegation will stay there until Dec. 10.
Ople said they intend to stay at a shelter for one night to see for themselves the plight of OFWs.
Ople said she will meet with Minister of Human Resource and Social Development Ahmad Al-Rahji, to discuss Saudi Arabia's offer to pay wage claims of Filipino workers.
Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman offered a compensation package of two billion riyals for the unpaid salaries of 10,000 OFWs during his bilateral meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) last month.
Ople said there were OFWs who worked for construction firms in Saudi Arabia that went bankrupt in 2015 and 2016.
She said they are expected to discuss details about the Saudi Arabian offer, such as a timetable to distribute the funds. DMS
