03 February 2009
RIYADH - Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo arrived in Riyadh on Monday evening on a state visit after a trip to Switzerland, where she attended the Davos World Economic Forum, and Italy.
Her visit comes as Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia are becoming increasingly worried about their job security after a Saudi labor official announced last week that local companies downsizing because of the global financial crisis must sack their foreign workers first.
Riyadh-based Migrante-ME regional coordinator Monterona has reportedly said that a "considerable" number of Filipinos employed at the Saudi Arabian Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC), which reported a 95 percent drop in Q4 earnings last year, fear they might lose their jobs.
"Once this company decides to terminate its workers and staff due to the global financial crisis, we do hope and pray that our fellow OFWs there would not be the first to be terminated," Monterona told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
RIYADH - Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo arrived in Riyadh on Monday evening on a state visit after a trip to Switzerland, where she attended the Davos World Economic Forum, and Italy.
Her visit comes as Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia are becoming increasingly worried about their job security after a Saudi labor official announced last week that local companies downsizing because of the global financial crisis must sack their foreign workers first.
Riyadh-based Migrante-ME regional coordinator Monterona has reportedly said that a "considerable" number of Filipinos employed at the Saudi Arabian Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC), which reported a 95 percent drop in Q4 earnings last year, fear they might lose their jobs.
"Once this company decides to terminate its workers and staff due to the global financial crisis, we do hope and pray that our fellow OFWs there would not be the first to be terminated," Monterona told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
© The Saudi Gazette 2009
