Saudi Arabia construction firm tells unpaid foreign workers:Forget dues or we won’t return passport

Riyadh,Sept27:Citing non-payment by the government for completed contract work as the reason for not paying the workers their dues. Workers say that neither the Saudi government nor their embassies have made much effort to bring them out of their desperate situation.

The workers are further in a fix as their work permits (known locally as iqamas) have expired and the company has not paid to renew them. In such a scenario, they risk being jailed or deported. Neither being able to return home, nor being able to seek alternative employment, these workers are reduced to slaves. Middle Eastern Eye claims that although some of the workers have found jobs in other companies, United Seemac is not returning their passports and allowing them to transfer to another sponsor, as stipulated by Saudi Arabia’s employment sponsorship system, known as kafala.

The trapped workers had approached a labour court, but have found no recourse there either, as they have little money to fight a legal battle.

Middle Eastern Eye said that cumulatively, India, Pakistan and the Philippines have over 30,000 citizens trapped in the country. Officials of these countries have visited Saudi Arabia and are in the process of trying to resolve the situation of Bin Ladin and Oger employees, but those working at smaller firms like United Seemac are largely overlooked.

In this desperate situation, the workers say that they may be forced to take more drastic measures that put them in danger of being jailed.