RIYADH - The Saudi Arabian government has begun the process of settling wage claims for more than 10,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) left unemployed after Riyadh-based construction firms declared bankruptcy in 2015 and 2016, announced President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of the Philippines on Saturday (Manila time).
According to News Releases by Philippines News Agency, during a media interview in Riyadh, President Marcos stated that the Saudi government assured him that the issue of unpaid wages for these displaced workers would be resolved. "We are coming to the point where only the details are being discussed. The list of claimants has been ironed out. We are just waiting for the details to be worked out between the Saudi side," he said.
In a bilateral meeting that took place in November 2022, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman committed to setting aside approximately 2 billion riyals for the unpaid wages of OFWs affected by the bankruptcies of construction firms in Saudi Arabia. While President Marcos stated there is no definite timeline for the payment of these wage claims, he emphasized that the payments will happen; it's only a matter of when.
The displaced workers were primarily employees of Saudi Oger Ltd., Mohammad Al Mojil Group, and other construction firms that went bankrupt. According to data from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), there were 8,829 claimants from Saudi Oger and 3,454 from Mohammad Al Mojil. In March, the DMW announced it would grant PHP 10,000 in humanitarian aid to each OFW who is awaiting their back wages. The funding for this humanitarian aid initiative comes from the DMW, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.