Such uncivilized scenes are common when anybody travels along the streets of Al-Thaqba district in Alkhobar or similar areas in other major cities. The presence of these illegal workers, mainly Asian and African nationals, is visible to all as they gather together and bargain with their customers resulting in noisy scenes. The strange thing is that each one of them offers to do any type of trade, whether it is that of a carpenter, a plumber or an electrician, according to a report in Al-Riyadh Arabic daily.

Speaking to the newspaper, Muhammad Al-Anzi, a resident of Al-Thaqba district, said: “These workers start gathering at the extension of Al-Thaqba 15 Street from 7:30 in the morning and then spread to some four commercial streets in the area. They belong mainly to three Asian countries and two Arab countries, and their numbers most often exceed 300. When they spot any prospective customer’s vehicle approaching, a group of more than 20 rush toward it and starts bargaining with the person seeking to hire them. These customers are fully aware that these workers are not specialists in the concerned trades and they do not possess any valid trade certificates. But they prefer them in view of the cheaper cost.”

Saeed Al-Shahri, a citizen, said that these illegal workers engage in various types of sundry jobs, such as repair works, distribution of advertisement bills and periodicals at doorsteps, setting up of billboards near traffic signals and major thoroughfares and the loading and unloading of cargo.

“You need not ask any one of them about their specialized job. Rather, they would agree to do any type of jobs without even a second thought. Their only concern is to earn money and not doing the job in a perfect and professional way,” he said. Abdullah Al-Yami, another citizen, wondered how is it possible for the citizens to allow such people to enter their houses without having any idea about their identity or field of work.

“These people can have access to specific practical information about the entrances and rooms of the house as well as those living there. This could help them plan burglary after choosing an appropriate time later. It is impossible to track down these laborers later, as they do not have any permanent residential place or address. They move from one place to another on a regular basis,” he said.

Al-Yami urged authorities to carry out inspection raids to put an end to this phenomenon.

“There should also be intensive awareness campaign among the citizens with the objective of dispensing with these illegal workers, he said.”

Aziz Al-Qahtani called for taking stringent punitive action not only against these illegal workers but also against those who are responsible for creating such a scenario.

“It is obvious that most of these illegal workers are hired by some people who are engaged in visa trade. Some employers who do not have jobs for their workers allow them to seek jobs with those other than their sponsors,” he said.

Sultan Al-Fohaid recalled his bitter experience of hiring one illegal worker to paint his house.

“One day, I picked one such worker from a Riyadh street to paint my house. But on the second day after the work had been done, the paint began to peel and fall down. I later learned that the paint was adulterated and mixed with water. I then immediately set out in search of the worker, but to no avail,” Al-Fohaid said, adding that this experiment caused him to spend more money than what it would have cost him if he had chosen to hire legally instead of breaking the law by hiring an illegal worker.