DAMMAM, 9 August — The Higher Arbitration Committee of the Labor Department in Riyadh is currently examining a complaint from two Saudi Aramco employees that they were dismissed from the company without valid reasons.
Aramco sacked the two employees on charges of abusing their official position for personal gains in an illegal manner.
According to a company source the action against the two was taken after "thoroughly examining every aspect of the charges brought against them. A special committee which scrutinized their suspicious activities found that the conduct of the two men was in clear violation of company regulations and in contravention of the work ethics of the company."
According to Salim Al-Fadil, lawyer representing the dismissed employees, the first accused was sacked on the charge of illegally arranging loans for other Aramco employees from a Saudi bank for a commission ranging between 12 percent and 15 percent of the loan amount.
The company charged that he colluded with an employee of the bank in the Eastern Province to overcome any hurdles in bank formalities in favor of some company employees who were blacklisted by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency.
The lawyer said the company did not have enough evidence to establish the charges against the two employees.
The second accused did not have any connection with the first one.
His attempt to get a bank loan after obtaining the company’s permission did by no means harm the company’s interests, he added.
"The case is now with the higher arbitration committee and the decisions of the competent authorities will be respected by the company which is keen to implement the regulations governing work and workers in the country," the company source said.
He added that the company regulations are the same for all employees and that it does not discriminate against anyone because all employees are equal in their rights and duties. The company implements the regulations in a just and fair manner, he added.
