2 OFWs fired by 'abusive' employer in Kuwait
A Hong Kong-based migrants group is urging the Philippine overseas labor office (POLO) in Kuwait to assist two overseas Filipino workers who have been terminated for complaining against what they consider as unfair labor practices.
In a statement on Thursday, the Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM) sought the intervention of the POLO in Kuwait "to provide all the necessary assistance to (the) workers and not to compromise their rights."
Josephine Tuburan and Gemma Limsam were terminated as caregivers from Al Essa Home Care Services allegedly as after leading a group of 11 co-workers in complaining against their employer's unfair labor practices.
According the APMM, the company locked up the two in their dormitory on Tuesday in an attempt to prevent them from attending the scheduled conciliation meeting. However, they were allowed to go after Migrante-Kuwait intervened.
Tuburan and Limsam were not the first victims of termination by Al Essa, the group said.
In 2007, the company terminated and sent home Armida Tusino for leading workers to protest against the firm’s labor malpractices.
“Unfortunately, the POLO in Kuwait denied they received any complaints from the workers that time," the APMM said.
Out of disgust over the fate of the two, nine other Filipino caregivers have resigned from the company.
The company promised the workers free air tickets for their flight back home, payment of their remaining salary and a clearance to go back to Kuwait to work for other employers. The firm also assured them it would waive a penalty of KD250 (US$915) for breach of contract, APPM said.
The company supposedly promised to provide copies of pay slips to the workers who opted to stay. There are 53 Filipinos and over a hundred South Asian caregivers in Al Essa.
However, the APMM noted that the company has not returned yet to each of the workers the KD130 (US$476) deducted from their salaries. The amount was supposed to cover for their airfare to Kuwait. But Al Essa reportedly had told the POLO that the amount was for training fees.
Moreover, the group said, the employer has yet to pay each worker a two-hour equivalent of overtime pay and for working on their days off and holidays.
A caregiver in Al Essa gets a monthly basic pay of KD70 (US$256.00) and a meal allowance of KD10 (US$37.00), or a total to US$293 each month, the APMM said, adding that the sum is far lower than the US$400 minimum pay for household service workers the Philippine government has set.
Caregivers in Kuwait work in homes and hospitals. They are considered skilled workers both by the Kuwaiti and Philippine governments.
Other labor complaints the POLO has yet to act on are: reimbursement of one month salary deduction for placement fee even if workers already paid the amount in the Philippines; unsanitary accommodation; payment of KD1 (US$3.66) every time a worker goes out for medical checkup; company indifference to those who meet accidents or get sick and two days off in a month, during which they are only allowed two to three hours to stay outside their dormitories. - Luis Gorgonio, GMANews.TV
In a statement on Thursday, the Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM) sought the intervention of the POLO in Kuwait "to provide all the necessary assistance to (the) workers and not to compromise their rights."
Josephine Tuburan and Gemma Limsam were terminated as caregivers from Al Essa Home Care Services allegedly as after leading a group of 11 co-workers in complaining against their employer's unfair labor practices.
According the APMM, the company locked up the two in their dormitory on Tuesday in an attempt to prevent them from attending the scheduled conciliation meeting. However, they were allowed to go after Migrante-Kuwait intervened.
Tuburan and Limsam were not the first victims of termination by Al Essa, the group said.
In 2007, the company terminated and sent home Armida Tusino for leading workers to protest against the firm’s labor malpractices.
“Unfortunately, the POLO in Kuwait denied they received any complaints from the workers that time," the APMM said.
Out of disgust over the fate of the two, nine other Filipino caregivers have resigned from the company.
The company promised the workers free air tickets for their flight back home, payment of their remaining salary and a clearance to go back to Kuwait to work for other employers. The firm also assured them it would waive a penalty of KD250 (US$915) for breach of contract, APPM said.
The company supposedly promised to provide copies of pay slips to the workers who opted to stay. There are 53 Filipinos and over a hundred South Asian caregivers in Al Essa.
However, the APMM noted that the company has not returned yet to each of the workers the KD130 (US$476) deducted from their salaries. The amount was supposed to cover for their airfare to Kuwait. But Al Essa reportedly had told the POLO that the amount was for training fees.
Moreover, the group said, the employer has yet to pay each worker a two-hour equivalent of overtime pay and for working on their days off and holidays.
A caregiver in Al Essa gets a monthly basic pay of KD70 (US$256.00) and a meal allowance of KD10 (US$37.00), or a total to US$293 each month, the APMM said, adding that the sum is far lower than the US$400 minimum pay for household service workers the Philippine government has set.
Caregivers in Kuwait work in homes and hospitals. They are considered skilled workers both by the Kuwaiti and Philippine governments.
Other labor complaints the POLO has yet to act on are: reimbursement of one month salary deduction for placement fee even if workers already paid the amount in the Philippines; unsanitary accommodation; payment of KD1 (US$3.66) every time a worker goes out for medical checkup; company indifference to those who meet accidents or get sick and two days off in a month, during which they are only allowed two to three hours to stay outside their dormitories. - Luis Gorgonio, GMANews.TV
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