JEDDAH: Salih Alpaslan, a 55-year-old Turkish civil engineer, said Saudi-Turkish business relations could be affected if his labor case is not settled, his iqama (work permit) is not transferred and his dues are not paid. “I’m a prisoner here,” said Alpaslan waving his hands in anger.
Alpaslan worked for two years under the sponsorship of a Saudi company, PC Marine Services. In 2006, the company went into partnership with a Turkish company, Sener Arda Construction. With the agreement of both companies, Alpaslan was appointed general manager of the partnership and the branch office.
A dispute occurred between the two companies in September 2007. Alpaslan submitted his resignation near the end of his contract and made it clear that he did not want to renew his contract under the sponsorship of PC Marine Services. The company owner approved the resignation and Alpaslan returned the company’s vehicle and vacated the accommodation he had been provided.
“I resigned in September 2007 but I didn’t leave the job until March 2008. The company didn’t pay my seven months’ salary. The owner told the office personnel not to provide me with any services or assistance. The dispute is between the two companies and I’m the victim,” said Alpaslan bitterly.
As of today, the Turkish engineer has not been paid his seven months’ delayed salary. The sponsor refuses to renew his iqama unless Alpaslan agrees to cancel his wife’s iqama. The sponsor refuses to transfer his iqama to the Turkish construction company — even though he initially approved. The sponsor has also refused to give Alpaslan his passport and official documents.
Under the Saudi sponsorship system, an employer is responsible for a foreign employee and must grant permission for the employee to enter Saudi Arabia, transfer employment or leave the country. The system gives the employer virtually total control of the worker. There are many cases in which workers have been unable to escape from abusive conditions or even return home upon completion of their contracts because their employers denied them permission to leave the country.
Alpaslan asked for an appointment to meet with the owner of PC Marine Services who told Alpaslan that the company would help him — but in reality, nothing happened. The owner told Arab News, “The case is now in the Court of Grievances and in the Labor Office. I have nothing further to say or add. Why do you care about this anyway?”
After waiting for a long time, Alpaslan went to Bilal Ghazawi, the legal consultant of PC Marine Services owner. The lawyer told Alpaslan not to worry as he was in “a civilized lawyer’s office in a civilized country.”
Alpalsan later learned that the company had filed a complaint against him in the Court of Grievances, blaming him as the manager of the joint venture for the financial problems and the disagreements between the two companies. Judge Abdullah Al-Zahrani rejected the case. “The judge said that the problem was between PC Marine Services and the Turkish construction company. I shouldn’t be involved,” said Alpaslan.
In April 2008, Alpaslan filed a complaint in the Labor Office. He and the PC Marine Services representative attended six sessions in the Labor Office. The next session is in November.
“I’m very happy to be in Saudi Arabia. I have good relations with many people here. But my employer is trying to make me a prisoner. I did my best and I want only my rights. It’s been one year and I’m still waiting,” said Alpaslan sadly, remembering his mother who died on Oct. 2, 2008.
When his mother died, Alpaslan contacted his sponsor requesting an exit re-entry visa in order to attend the funeral in Turkey. The owner agreed and referred Alpaslan to an administrative assistant in the company to complete the required procedures. Alpaslan was told that he had to pay SR200 for the visa. He was ready to pay until the assistant told him that he also had to pay them SR800,000 and drop the case he filed in the Labor Office if he wanted the exit visa.
“In Turkey,” said Alpaslan, “even criminals and prisoners are allowed out of jail to attend funerals and then go back to prison. I lost my mother and I couldn’t go. If this issue isn’t settled or solved, I’ll make a big problem out of it.”
Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a report in July 2008 entitled, “As If I Am Not Human.” It stated that Saudi Arabia’s restrictive sponsorship system, which ties migrant workers’ employment visas to their employers, fuels exploitation and abuse. Another report by HRW issued in July 2004, entitled “Bad Dreams: Exploitation and Abuse of Migrant Workers in Saudi Arabia,” — which was the first comprehensive examination of human rights abuses that foreign workers experience in Saudi Arabia — included testimonies from migrant workers. These people entered the country legally in full compliance with Saudi government laws and regulations only to find themselves at the mercy of legal sponsors and employers who had the power to impose oppressive working conditions on them.
“I have a great deal of faith in the Saudi judicial system. I believe that the officials are just and they will grant me my rights. I want to remain in the Kingdom, the land of the Two Holy Mosques, until the problems are solved. I want to transfer my iqama to the Turkish construction company,” said Alpaslan with hope.
Alpaslan’s case is not the first, nor will it be the last, concerning workers’ abuse by Saudi employers. Alpaslan has thought many times of contacting human rights groups and the Turkish authorities, but he still believes that the Saudi judicial system is capable of granting him his rights and solving the matter peacefully.
