Minister of Finance and Acting Minister of State for Economic Affairs Mariam Al-Aqeel discussed Sunday with the visiting Philippine Secretary of Labor and Employment Silvestre Bello III along with the accompanying delegation a number of issues of common concern. Minister Al-Aqeel said in a statement that among the topics discussed was the case of a Filipino worker who died recently.
She stressed her rejection of this incident, and confirmed that what happened was unacceptable. She emphasized that no Kuwaiti person would accept any violations of labor rights in the country. The case of the Filipino worker is now in the hands of the Kuwaiti judiciary, Al-Aqeel added, and expressed her confidence in the Kuwaiti judicial authorities, affirming that laws are applicable to all.
Praising the depth of bilateral relations between Kuwait and the Philippines, she noted that the death of the Filipino worker was a rare case and should not affect relations between the two countries. Kuwait receives monthly large numbers of Filipino workers who come to Kuwait to work in light of a stable labor market and maintains permanent labor rights, she said. The number of Filipino workers who entered Kuwait last month is close to 10,000 workers, she added.
During this meeting, developments in the employment situation were also discussed in addition to all new laws and regulations, and to overcome any obstacles facing workers. The implementation of the labor agreement between Kuwait and the Philippines designed to reach the best results in the field of domestic labor, would be also discussed in the upcoming meeting. The meeting between Minister Al-Aqeel and the Philippine Minister was held in the presence of the Kuwaiti Ambassador to the Philippines, Musaed Althwaikh.