Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas F. Ople has sought the help of Libyan Ambassador Dr. Salem Adam to ensure the safety of 550 Filipinos employed by Daewoo Ajib, a natural gas plant in Wasa, Southwest Libya, in the wake of a riot that broke out at the jobsite last Friday.

Ople said the riot involved Filipinos, Bangladeshi and Thai workers. The fighting was sparked by an altercation over a minor matter concerning the use of the television room. Four Filipinos reportedly sustained minor injuries.

“I have instructed Philippine Chargé d’Affaires Benito Valeriano, who is also the Consul General, to immediately take this matter up with local police and labor officials. Libyan Ambassador Salem Adam, whom I called last night, also promised to seek the cooperation of appropriate agencies in Libya to help mediate and ensure the protection of our workers there,” Secretary Ople said.

The natural gas plant employs about 2,000 Bangladeshis, 550 Filipinos and 20 Thais. The Filipinos were hired by the company to work there as engineers, supervisors, welders and pipe fitters. Some of them directly supervise the larger Bangladeshi workforce.

As a result of the fracas and to avoid a repeat of the incident, management moved the Filipino workers to another location within the Daewoo camp. The Filipinos were fearful of another attack by Bangladeshi workers on their barracks.

Some of the workers, however, have expressed a desire to terminate their contracts and return to the Philippines immediately. Labor Attaché Ricardo Martinez and a translator traveled by land to Wasa, Southwest Libya to check on the conditions of the workers.  The jobsite is 12 hours away from Tripoli. -END