RIYADH, 15 August 2006 — As many as 96 Indian employees of Riyadh-based Kanal Corporation have been promised three months’ salaries in back payments following a representation they made to the welfare wing of the Indian Embassy complaining about the non-payment of their wages ranging from four to 18 months.

At the meeting held at the Indian Embassy between a representative of the company and the employees, and attended by P. Balachandran, second secretary (Welfare), Kanal declared its commitment to pay them three months’ arrears.

However, the employees’ representatives turned down the offer and said they were willing to return home pending full settlement of their dues, Balachandran told Arab News. He said the employers had agreed to give their undertaking in writing.

“Each time we complain, they pay us only one month’s salary, putting on hold arrears for several months,” Manzoor Khan, an employee from Bihar, Bhagwan Gupta and Suresh Kumar, his colleagues from the north Indian states of UP and Rajasthan respectively, earlier told Arab News.

They said that when they called on Riyadh Gov. Prince Salman, he immediately instructed the labor office to pursue the matter. The Labor Office in turn wrote to their company asking them to settle the arrears. They produced a copy of the letter from the Labor Office to their company asking the management to expedite payment to the workers.

However, the employees do not trust their management, since they have become used to only receiving a month’s salary whenever a complaint is lodged. Kumar said the employees have not gone home on their annual vacation for several years, since they have been denied tickets and other basic facilities.

When Arab News contacted the company’s administration section, its spokesman admitted that they owed back wages to their employees. However, he claimed that the problem was not confined to the workers alone. Even the managerial staff was in the same situation.

His claim is contested by the workers, according to whom only employees in their category are facing this problem.