PH Welcomes Libya Assurance on Filipino Hospital Workers

Philippine Embassy in Tripoli Chargé d’Affaires (CDA) Elmer G. Cato (left) and Libyan Minister of Health Ahmed Mohamed Omar (right) discuss the actions being taken by the Libyan Government in connection with the problems encountered by Filipino hospital workers in Libya during a recent meeting at the Ministry of Health in Tripoli. (Philippine Embassy Photo by Maria Christina Cecelia Hernandez)

TRIPOLI 19 August 2019 —The Philippines has welcomed the assurance given by authorities in Libya that the salary and other concerns of hundreds of Filipino nurses and other hospital workers there are being addressed.

In a statement issued ahead of the visit to Manila of Libyan Health Minister Ahmed Mohamed Omar, the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli said it is hopeful that problems encountered by Filipinos working in most government hospitals and in some private clinics across Libya would soon be resolved.

Minister Omar will be in Manila on 19 to 20 August 2019.

“We welcome the assurances given to us by the Libyan government that the concerns that our nurses and hospital workers asked us to bring to their attention are being acted upon,” Embassy Chargé d’Affaires (CDA) Elmer G. Cato said.

These concerns include not only delays in the remittance of salaries and benefits but also delays and in some cases even nonpayment of salaries of the more than 1,000 Filipino nurses and hospital workers in Libya. 

CDA Cato said Minister Omar assured him that steps are being taken to address the concerns that the Embassy first brought to his attention in May. The Minister said he is coordinating closely with the Office of the Prime Minister and with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Labor, and the Ministry of Finance in resolving the issues.

Minister Omar said a comprehensive review of existing policies in the payment and remittance of salaries and benefits of expatriate health workers is now ongoing and a focal person has been designated to work closely with the Embassy in resolving monetary claims of Filipino hospital workers.

The Libyan Health Minister also said representations have been made with the Central Bank of Libya to allow Filipino and other expatriate nurses and hospital workers to remit as much as 70 percent of their salaries.

He said the Libyan government is also planning to adjust the salaries of foreign hospital workers to ensure that they will continue to get the original dollar equivalent indicated in their employment contracts. END

For more information, visit https://www.tripolipe.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinLibya/.