(Eagle News)—Senator Joel Villanueva is seeking a probe into what he said were the miserable conditions of some Filipino truck drivers in Padborg, Denmark.
In filing Senate Resolution No. 946, Villanueva noted the 22 Filipino truck drivers who were rescued by Danish authorities from a camp were supposed to be working in Poland with a monthly pay of 1,060 EUR including meal allowance, free accommodation, overtime pay, medical benefits and life insurance based on their contracts.
The contracts, however, he said, were altered, and the Filipinos were transferred to Denmark three weeks later, with no appropriate accommodation, overtime pay nor medical benefits.
He said the Filipinos were made to sleep in the container truck they were driving without a heater, bed, kitchen nor toilet facilities.
According to Villanueva, these Filipino truck drivers were also entitled to Danish benefits and a monthly pay of 3,500 to 4,300 EUR in the first place.
“It is frustrating to know that some of our OFWs were promised better opportunities but instead they were grossly underpaid, maltreated and abused. No Filipino worker, especially those who work away from their families, deserve to be victimized by these abusive practices in exchange for their hard work and sacrifice,” Villanueva said.
“This is an urgent matter that we need to discuss to know the adequacy of government actions in these kinds of situation to prevent the occurrence of similar cases in the future, and most importantly, to keep our OFWs away from falling victim these deceptive practices. Our workers’ safety and welfare here and abroad must always be our paramount concern,” Villanueva added.
