6 stranded Indian workers in Jazan seek repatriation

Six Indian expatriate workers employed in a cleaning company in Jazan have been unsuccessful in their attempts to return to their country because their passports have been withheld by their sponsor.
The workers have never received an iqama since they arrived in Saudi Arabia three years ago.
The workers are living in company accommodation in Dayar Fifa near the Yemeni border, where the area is heavily patrolled by security forces. They complained that they had neither money nor any food provisions, as they had not been paid for several months.
There were nine workers who had been demanding repatriation following the expiration of their employment contracts. After eight months, only three were able to obtain the exit visas.
Those who were able to obtain the exit visas were were Mohammed Nayeem, Mohsin Ali and Mohammed Asif. The remaining six continue to wait without work since their company refuses to facilitate their travel procedures.
One stranded worker, Santosh Choudary of Murshidabad in West Bengal, India, told Arab News that they are running out of food as they have not had money or a job for the last three months. He said that prior to this period, the company already owed wages for four months making a total of seven months without pay.
When the workers approached the company’s manager in Jazan, he said that the cashier had run away with the cash and there were no funds to pay them.
Two other workers who have been stranded, Srikant from Bihar and Gade Srinivas from Andhra Pradesh, said that they hadn’t received iqamas since their arrival.
Fazal Ahmed of Uttar Pradesh said that since they are not in possession of an iqama, they can’t travel to Jeddah to seek the help of the Indian Consulate.
“All of us have approached the labor office in Jazan with our grievance but there has been no response,” Ahmed said.
Gade Srinivas said, “We tried to approach the governorate of Jazan but were unable to succeed.”
The workers also tried to contact Indian social workers based in Jazan but they refused to meet them and advised them instead to approach the labor court.
The stranded workers are illiterate and were working as laborers or cleaners. They have no knowledge or access to the Internet and don’t know where to get information on their situation.
They are now making appeals to authorities and the Indian Consulate to address their grievances and initiate the process for their repatriation to India.