RIYADH, 10 June 2007 — Lured by the promise of a better life for herself and her family, a Sri Lankan woman came to the Kingdom to find herself trapped and obliged to work in inhuman conditions for only half the salary specified in her contract.
“I was hired to work here as a cleaning supervisor for SR800, but when I arrived I was compelled to work for half the salary, which included my food expenses too,” Padma Mallawarachi told Arab News. She added that the accommodation given to her was worse than sub-standard.
“There was no air-conditioning, no proper toilet facilities and no electricity. We lit candles and lamps at night in a dungeon in the Saudi capital,” Padma said.
Evidently there were two camps for the cleaners: KE-3 for women and KE-2 for men.
Padma came to the Kingdom three months ago after paying SR3,500 to her local agent in Colombo in order to get the placement.
“I was running a tiny driving school and I sold everything to earn quick money to help my son who is reading for the GCE Advance Level Examination.”
The woman is now in the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh and she said that there were more than 150 women hospital cleaners, all employees of the same company, living in the same conditions.
“Those who protest against the working conditions are threatened with being sent to a place which is worse than a jail,” she said, explaining that in that place there are no phone facilities nor are mobile phones allowed.
When Arab News contacted the Sri Lankan Embassy, K.B.G Premadasa, the labor secretary, said the mission would look into this complaint and try to find the unauthorized location with the help of local authorities.
“Violations, if any, will be dealt with by the concerned parties,” he added.
“We get runaway housemaids regularly but this is a new case that claims to be a victim of inhumane treatment,” Premadasa said.
