MANILA - Some 300 Filipinos employed at a US military camp in Iraq went on strike this week to protest poor working conditions, the foreign ministry said on Friday. The workers, under contract from Prime Projects International and Kellog Brown and Root, are based in Camp Cooke in the province of Taji, the ministry said.
It was not specified what their complaints were, but the ministry said the Filipinos and the agencies that employed them failed to agree on certain demands prompting the strike.
"... and we want double-time for Sundays, and a better health care package, and, um, oh yeah, someone has to kill Zarq."
"Double-time, check, health care, check, Zarq. .. Zarq. ... Zarq. You think we ain't been tryin'?"
"Yeah, well until you get it done, we're on strike!" |
The Filipinos were to have been repatriated amid the deadlock, but the Philippine charge d'affaires Ricardo Endaya managed to convince them to enter dialogue and temporarily return to their posts. Despite a travel ban to Iraq, the Philippines is the biggest supplier of manpower for US-led coalition forces, with an estimated 6,000 Filipinos working in various camps.
US-based Kellog manages non-combat related operations of military installations in Iraq, while Prime Projects recruits Filipino workers for them. |