MANILA: The Saudi government is determined to reform its recruitment process to benefit workers, their hosts and employers, local newspapers here reported Tuesday. Labor Minister Adel Fakieh communicated this to Filipino Vice President Jejomar Binay during his visit to the Kingdom. Among the projected reforms would be the setting up of a 24-hour hotline which employees could use to report any complaint to the authorities, a system that would allow every employee to keep a bank account and require the employer to deposit his or her salary without any delay in that account, and provide legal assistance such as translation services in the event of court cases. The Labor Minister said the government's “infrastructure of justice” is set to be in place before the end of the year. He added that the Kingdom would try to be “a good host” to OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) and participate in solving their work-related problems. He also assured Binay of the swift repatriation of distressed OFWs who fall under the guidelines of the latest amnesty proclamation of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. “We welcome the assurances given by the Labor Minister. We are optimistic that our kababayans at the Resource Centers will soon be reunited with their families,” Binay said.
