Employer abandons 84 Pinays in UAE

MANILA, Philippines - Eighty-four Filipina cleaners were abandoned in Ajman, United Arab Emirates by their employer, who failed to pay their salaries and rent for their accommodation.

In a report to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai said it took custody of 46 of 84 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were abandoned by their employer.

The 46 OFWs are staying at the embassy’s Filipino Workers Resource Center.

The Philippine Consulate General in Dubai is also working on the release of the remaining 38 Filipinas, who have visa issues, to their custody.

The 84 OFWs are employees of a certain Khalid Ahmed Hassan Mohamed, who failed to pay their salaries and rent for their accommodation in Ajman. The villa where they were staying was raided by immigration authorities on the basis of complaints from neighbors.

Philippine Consul General Benito Valeriano said that upon learning of the incident, consulate representatives went to the Department of Naturalization and Residency Ajman (DNRD Ajman) and met with the immigration officer there.

The immigration officer informed them that the workers did not have resident visas in Ajman, so they were transferred to the Dubai immigration authority, which later released 46 of the OFWs.

The OFWs filed a civil complaint against their employer and the Consulate General is helping them build their case.