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Showing posts with label Saudi. Show all posts

Sunday, August 05, 2018

Philippine Embassy In Riyadh Clarifies Wrong Statement About End Of Service Benefits

Any worker, either in a private company or a government job, is always looking forward to receiving his fair share of ESB or End of Service Benefit. Each country calculates this compensation differently. If a certain employer refuse to provide this benefit to an employee upon termination - be it due to work injury, arbitrary dismissal, or end of contract - the situation falls into a labor dispute.

Shock and surprise were the reaction among some Filipinos in Saudi Arabia when they watched a recent Facebook live interview of Consul General Christopher Patrick Aro and Vice Consul Von Ryan Ferrera from the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh.

Among the topics discussed in the hour-long interview were the repatriation procedures for a deceased worker, as well as the End of Service Award or Benefits. A statement made on the latter is what surprised many viewers.

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It was around 8 minutes into the interview when embassy officials clearly said Domestic Workers are not entitled to ESB. The same statement was repeated towards the last 15 minutes of the interview. This of course is an erronoues statement on the part of the embassy officials, and it was corrected and clarified the next day with an official press release that you can read below. Household Service Workers or Domestic Helpers are of course accorded several benefits according to the Saudi Labor Law.

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While social media is a very good medium to inform OFWs, especially those with limited access to information, care must be done in believing what we read, see or hear, especially in the advent of fake news.

If you are a Domestic Helper in Saudi Arabia, know your rights and benefits here.

SAUDI ARABIA KASAMBAHAY LEGAL RIGHTS OR DOMESTIC LABOR REGULATION

This post is filed under: labor dispute, end of service, work injury, arbitrary dismissal, end of contract, household service worker, domestic helper, social media, labor law, KSA, Saudi, fake news

8 Things OFW's Never Tell You About Their Life Abroad

You Can Rate Your Recruitment Agency

This article is filed under the category of recruitment agencies, Overseas Filipino Workers, The International Trade Union Confederation , International Labor Organization, pre-departure orientation, POEA, Philippines, Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) can now rate their recruitment agencies through an online platform. The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), together with the International Labor Organization (ILO) Fair Recruitment, developed the Migrant Recruitment Advisor where OFWs themselves can do a review through firsthand experiences with the certain recruitment agencies. With this website, OFWs can look for their agencies and rate it with having 5 stars as excellent. The reviews include recruitment fees, pre-departure orientation, and the employment contract. Recruitment agencies accredited by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) are being reviewed. It also has important links to law and policies in the Philippines that can inform and equip the readers about their rights and privileges. Advertisement Sponsored Links The site is available in two languagesâ€”English and Filipino. It will be available in other languages as well soon. Aside from the Philippines, the site also features agencies in other countries such as Nepal, Indonesia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore. "The Migrant Recruitment Advisor can help prospective Filipino migrant workers make informed decision or choice by going through online reviews," ILO Philippines director Khalid Hassan said. ILO sees the platform as another venue where migrant workers can know more about their agencies. OFWs can directly go to www.recruitmentadvisor.org and look up for the agency they want to review and rate. Recruitment agencies also positively welcome the rating site saying that it could provide transparency among the recruitment agencies which will benefit the applicants. This commends the agencies who assist their clients well by providing assistance like answering their queries promptly through their social media pages or through their hotline numbers which not all recruitment agencies do. LBS Recruitment solutions provide 24/7 assistance to their applicants through their Facebook page with over a million followers. "Full disclosure and transparency in recruitment practices are primary components of ethical recruitment", said Lito B. Soriano, CEO of a leading recruitment agency, LBS Recruitment Solutions. This article is filed under the category of recruitment agencies, Overseas Filipino Workers, The International Trade Union Confederation , International Labor Organization, pre-departure orientation, POEA, Philippines, READ MORE: Find Out Which Country Has The Fastest Internet Speed Using This Interactive Map Find Out Which Is The Best Broadband Connection In The Philippines Best Free Video Calling/Messaging Apps Of 2018 Modern Immigration Electronic Gates Now At NAIA ASEAN Promotes People Mobility Across The Region You Too Can Earn As Much As P131K From SSS Flexi Fund Investment Survey: 8 Out of 10 OFWS Are Not Saving Their Money For Retirement Can A Virgin Birth Be Possible At This Millennial Age? Dubai OFW Lost His Dreams To A Scammer Support And Protection Of The OFWs, Still PRRD's Priority

Tips On How To Use Smartphone And Social Media Accounts Wisely For HSWs

Having a smartphone with internet and social media access is now a usual thing and even kids own it. For the overseas Filipino workers (OFW) who are miles away from their loved ones, it is a necessity. On the new memorandum of understanding signed between the government of the Philippines and Kuwait, which ended the deployment ban of OFWs to Kuwait, one of the provisions is to allow household service workers to own a smartphone in order to connect with their family back home. Being allowed to have a smartphone has its many advantages if it is being used correctly and appropriately, otherwise, it can cause problems and it can cost even our cherished overseas job. Advertisement Sponsored Links We collate tips on how to use your smartphone and social media accounts wisely to save from any possible problems that might arise if you do not use them right especially if you are working in the Middle East. Just recently, an OFW who recorded a video of her sponsor in Saudi Arabia without permission is on the brink of deportation and losing her job because she posted the said video recording on social media showing her female sponsor not wearing a headdress. It is strictly not allowed! Another domestic worker was charged with child pornography in Hong Kong by doing a Facebook live video of her sponsor's kid taking a bath. In cases of abusive sponsors, you may take a photo or a video but for the purpose of showing it to the proper authority only and not for social media posting. So our tip # 1 would be: Do not take photos or video of your sponsor or any member of their family and post it on social media without permission. As a social media account user, it is important that we secure our personal information well. Keep it from other people even from our sponsors. It is our right. Tip #2: If your sponsor asks for your social media or email account username and password, never give it to them. Even if we have the privilege of using a smartphone at work, it is important that we keep our posts private. For instance, a household worker who was assigned to clean her sponsor's room struck a pose for a selfie putting her sponsor's jewelry on. Later, she posted that selfie on her social media account with privacy settings in public. The sponsor's kid saw it. The result, her sponsor said that her wristwatch is missing and said she took it even if she did not. Tip # 3: Be careful and set your social media posts privacy settings always as private or which can be viewed by your friends only. Joy has been told to look after the child on her care while the kid is on the swimming pool learning how to swim. But as soon her employer left, she snapped a selfie and uploaded it on Facebook She did not notice that the kid she supposed to look after pulled another kid, a child of her employer's friend, under the pool. The kid told that matter to her mother and said that instead of looking after the kid, the nanny was busy taking selfies, that's why she did not even saw what the kid did to him/her. She could have prevented the kid from pulling him/her under the pool. Joy's selfie caused her to lose her job. Tip #4: Be mindful of your duties and do not prioritize doing selfies just to be updated with your social media posts. You did not go abroad just to take selfies. You are there to work and earn for your family. It is very important that we have a smartphone and its primary use is to get in touch with our family back home. You can get updates on what happening to them in real time and vice versa. It is also important that you keep updated contact numbers of people that might help you in case of emergency. Tip #5: Keep your mobile phone updated of important contact numbers of the Philippine Embassy in your host country especially the assistance to nationals hotline, your recruitment agency, or any friend that may extend help in times of trouble. Communication is very important. Nowadays, it is made easier by modern technology through the internet and calling and messaging apps that allow you to get in touch with your family and friends no matter how far you are. Maximizing the use of smartphones and social media to your advantage should come with a caution. If we are not careful with our actions, we can be held liable and can even cause us greater things. So enjoy being online and stay safe. READ MORE: 11 OFWs Illegally Detained In A Room For 1 Week, Asking For Help Survey: 8 Out of 10 OFWS Are Not Saving Their Money For Retirement Dubai OFW Lost His Dreams To A Scammer Can A Family Of Five Survive With P10K Income In A Month? DTI Offers P5K To P200K To Small Business Owners How Filipinos Can Get Free Oman Visa? "No Homework On Weekends Policy" - Does it Apply to Private Schools?

www.jbsolis.com

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Crown Prince: Saudi Women Not Necessarily Required to Wear Abaya

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is known for its very conservative rules specially when it comes to women.

In the previous years, women could face detention if she does not adhere to the policy of wearing abaya in public.

The traditional abaya worn by women is black in color. But in the last few years, women started wearing colored abayas aside from the traditional black. This became controversial as some regard this as immodest and it brings attention to women- when women in Jeddah and Eastern Province started wearing colorful abaya, women in Riyadh still tried to follow and wear traditional black abaya.

Riyadh has been known as the most conservative city in Saudi Arabia, where, aside from abaya, women are also required to cover their head with a scarf or hijab. However, in some relaxed province like Jeddah and the Eastern Province they are more lenient when it comes to wearing hijab. These provinces also introduced colored abaya in the past few years, but is criticized in Riyadh- as colorful abaya brings attention to oneself.

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Saudi Bans Expats From These Jobs; Oman Implements Six-Month Ban on Hiring Expats

The Middle East labor market has taken another turn for the worse for prospective foregin applicants. Saudi Arabia and Oman has set new restrictions on foreign nationals looking for work in these oil rich region. In a bid to stem the growing number of unemployment among locals, countries in the region are tightening the rules and limiting the vacancies available for expats.

Minister of Labor and Social Development Ali Al-Ghafees has issued a decree to limit work in 12 new activities to Saudi men and women starting September 2018.

The 12 work areas banned for expats are: watch shops, optical stores, medical equipment stores, electrical and electronics shops, outlets selling car spare part, building material shops, outlets selling all types of carpets, automobile and mobike shops, shops selling home furniture and ready-made office material, sale outlets of ready-made garments, children clothes and men’s supplies, household utensils shops and pastry shops.