Ezzedin Tago, the Philippine Consul General, commended the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Jeddah for its quick action and conciliation which avoided a possible walk-out or labor strike, both of which are banned in the Kingdom, by more than 100 Filipinos working with a fast food chain here. According to the Philippine consulate, a report by Labor Attaché Vicente Cabe cited the conciliation efforts led by assistant Labor Attaché Wesley Gacutan who met the group of Filipinos and the company officials to address the concerns of the Filipinos. “Last month, two Filipino workers presented to the Consulate's Labor Section a letter complaining about various labor issues ranging from illegal deductions in pay and benefits to maltreatment at the workplace,” said Ezzedin Tago. Asst. Labatt Gacutan contacted the company and arranged a conciliation meeting. An eight-point agreement was singed between the spokesmen of 126 Filipino workers and the company. According to information from the Philippine consulate, the management agreed to stop unnecessary deductions, respect the privacy of the workers in their accommodations, stop any physical harm, increase salaries after two years of satisfactory service, provide adequate water supply at the accommodation, no forced work during prayer time in accordance with the Saudi labor code, and speeding up the exit permit processing. Ezzedin Tago thanked the employer for responding to the complaints of the Filipinos. “I think the Filipino workers made a good choice by bringing their problems to the Consulate for conciliation”, said Tago.
