ACC responds to news reports of employee disputes
KSA contractor denies that there has been staff upheaval at the firm over pay conditions and contracts
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Saudi Arabia-based Al Arrab Contracting Company ltd (ACC) has denied reports that it delayed salaries, made illegal deductions and failed to pay overtime rates to more than 200 of its employees.
Migrante-Middle East claimed that 200-plus Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) at ACC, comprising engineers, supervisors and construction workers had sought assistance from the Kapatiran SA Gitnang Silangan (Kgs), a Riyadh-based member-organisation of Migrante-Middle East, and had planned a one-day strike at the beginning of February over pay disputes and various conditions of employment. Migrante Middle East regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona said employees had complained about ACC “holding back their two months’ salary, delayed salary release, illegal deductions and nonpayment of overtime worked”, according to Monterona. The organisation also said that — among other grievances — employees had been forced to sign a contract with revised provisions from the original version.
However, ACC told the big project that there had been “no situation” and the complaints related to an individual worker making false accusations “for a private reason”. The company spokesperson said: “Salaries are not delayed, salaries are paid on time”.
When asked whether illegal salary deductions had been made or whether employees were forced to sign new contracts, the spokesperson said “never”. Similarly, ACC said that it had paid overtime rates to “employees entitled to receive overtime”.
“ACC remains one of the top employers in our construction industry in the region managing continuously to attract top international talent (currently 27 nationalities). ACC remains a preferred employer to Filipino nationals; some have been working for ACC for more than 21 years now and we confirm that there were no strikes.”
