Around 800 OFWs stranded in US military base in Indian Ocean amid labor dispute — DMW

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Friday said around 800 overseas Filipino workers were stranded in a U.S. military base in Diego Garcia Island in the Indian Ocean due to a labor dispute.

DMW Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople said Kellogg Brown & Root Inc. (KBR), a defense contractor of the U.S. Navy, allegedly told OFWs to just resign if they leave for a vacation.

“I think mga 800 [OFWs ang stranded]. Marami d'yan kasi KBR ang biggest defense contractor doon sa Diego Garcia (I think around 800 OFWs were stranded. Many of them are from KBR because it is the biggest contractor there),” she said in a radio interview.

Ople said she was able to talk to concerned OFWs virtually before she went to Singapore for the state visit of President Ferdinand “Bongbong”  Marcos Jr. early this month.

She added the DMW already called out the KBR and pointed out that vacation leave is part of the contract and should be provided without conditions.

Ople said the OFWs have not visited their families in the Philippines for three years. She said the issue of the OFWs with the US contractor has been ongoing since 2020.

She added they also found out that KBR was allegedly paying OFWs less than the amount declared in the US Federal Law.

The OFWs should be receiving $7 per hour for their wage instead of $5.25, according to Ople.

She said the U.S. Navy has seven contractors who hired OFWs. Of the seven, only KBR did not comply to the call of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

Due to this, Ople said a suspension has been imposed on the deployment of new OFWs to KBR.

She said some of the OFWs are okay with staying with the US contractor despite the lower wage, while some of them want to get paid with the right amount.

The DMW is set to talk again with KBR, Ople said. She further said if KBR does not take action, the DMW will write to the US Department of Labor as well as the U.S. Navy to report the issue.

Because the area is a U.S. military base, only chartered flights from KBR will be available if the OFWs want to leave. Ople said DMW tried sending a plane for the OFWs, but it was not allowed due to security considerations.

Sought for comment, Sky Laron, Deputy Public Affairs Officer for the Commander of U.S. Navy Region Japan told GMA News Online that the U.S. Navy values the labor and services of Filipino workers.

Laron added that the U.S. Navy abided by all legal and international requirements.

“The KBR Diego Garcia contract, signed May 2017, is a firm fixed-price performance-based contract,” he said.

“The Navy does not dictate the number of employees, hours worked, or compensation. The Philippine Overseas Employment Agency-approved contract between KBR and the employee establishes leave or standby pay benefits,” he added.

On Thursday, Palace said it will give a comment on the issue once it received a report from the DMW.

“For the moment, we are relying upon and monitoring through the DMW. So, it’s still in the hands of Secretary Toots. We will wait for her report,” Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said.

“Malacañang will rely heavily on the people who are directly involved in this one. So, we will comment upon receiving her report,” she added.—AOL, GMA News