MANILA, Philippines—The seven Filipino welders who were reported stranded in Qatar after they were laid off have agreed to a settlement with their employer and will be returning home next week.
One of the welders, Willy Catian, was quoted by the Qatar daily The Peninsula as saying Thursday that he and his companions have been given their back wages and one-way air tickets to the Philippines.
Catian said they would arrive in Manila either on Thursday or Friday next week.
The welders’ case attracted media attention in the Philippines after they were reported to be without shelter and were begging at a fish market in Doha, Qatar’s capital.
Vice President Noli de Castro, presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), heard of the welders’ plight and requested the labor department to assist them.
Middle East chapters of Migrante International, an alliance of Filipino migrant groups, even launched an ouster petition against the Philippine labor attaché in Qatar, Hector Cruz, for allegedly not giving enough help to the welders.
The welders, who were deployed in April 2007, were laid off four months ago after the construction firm they were working for closed down. They remained in Qatar to file a complaint against their employer before the Qatar labor ministry’s arbitration department.
The Peninsula report quoted Cruz as denying that he failed to help the welders.
Cruz said he was “disheartened” by reports that he did not help the OFWs, adding that he had explained to them what their legal options were and the procedures in filing their complaint.
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