Hundreds of migrants from other countries have joined the 200 Filipino workers in a strike due to labor malpractices of their employer, Al Arab Company based in Saudi Arabia, a migrant workers’ group disclosed said today.
Migrante Middle East regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona said, “Numbers of Pakistanis, Bangladeshi, Indians, Nepalis and Chinese  workers have supported the strike of the Filipino workers composed of engineers, supervisors, and laborers.”
Filipino workers sent a letter four days before their strike to the firm’s human resources manager, regarding the late payroll of their wages, contract substitution, and non-payment of their overtime work.
In their letter qouted, “This action is not solely for the benefit of the Filipinos but for other nationalities also that are experiencing the same problem. We want to have a better employer-employee relationship and to continuously render our humble services to this company as long as these issues are going to be settled the soonest time possible,”
Aaccording to a Riyadh-based member organization of Migrante, Kapatiran sa Gitnang Silangan, the company threatened to deport the workers who have joined the strike..
Monterona stressed, “We are now closely coordinating with the families and relatives of the 200 striking OFWs so that they too could help their respective troubled OFWs in Saudi Arabia who have stopped working for 4 days now and together stage protest actions in the Philippines in support of their loved ones struggle for fair labor practices, rights and welfare.”