THREE days since the reopening of the Saudi Arabia market, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) yesterday said it is closely monitoring the implementation of a new employment contract covering Filipino workers there.
The contract details the duties and responsibilities of the Filipino workers and states that salaries will be given through a digital platform to ensure they are given fully and on time, DMW Undersecretary Patricia Caunan said in a social media post.
“We will closely monitor the implementation of the policies and provisions of the new standard employment contract with the aim of protecting our OFWs,” she said.
Caunan said the contract also requires provision of healthcare insurance, including 30 days of paid sick leave.
All disputes between employer and employee, she also said, should be brought to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office and the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) for a “friendly settlement.”
Caunan said Filipino workers are given the option to pre-terminate their employment contract in cases of abuses, maltreatment, or wage disputes.
The contract also states that the worker’s repatriation expenses will be shouldered by the employer, she added.
On Monday, the DMW and the the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLOs) in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Al-Khobar officially resumed the verification of new job contracts for Saudi-bound OFWs.
