Lately, a host of sad stories have been published in local newspapers about workers not being paid or being delayed in the receipt of their salaries. This has caused foreign workers to gather and protest, and demand their wages. At the end of the day, there is a great injustice that is being done on these poor guest workers who heavily rely on their salaries to support their families back home.
The problem is not a new one and has been going on for many years and in many areas across the Kingdom. The most recent incident that was reported in local newspapers was about 700 Asian workers who had gathered at their company’s head office to protest at the delay in receiving their salaries. Subsequently they trashed the office and broke furniture. If it were not for the timely intervention of the police, who were able to contain the situation and calm the workers down, the consequences would have been much worse. The police brought a representative from the company, who in writing promised to pay the workers their salaries within a few days.
These Asian workers earn extremely little and are sometimes forced to beg for money or do other illegal activities to make ends meet. The late payment of salaries is something that is becoming widespread these days and so the officials at the chambers of commerce and industry in Jeddah, Riyadh and the Eastern Province need to be asked what they are doing to stop this problem from taking place in the first place. Why are they not holding the contractors and employers responsible for delaying workers’ salaries? These people are bringing the Kingdom in bad repute.
For the sake of the country’s reputation, we urge officials to put an end to this problem and the chambers of commerce across the Kingdom to look into the issue.
