JEDDAH, 16 January 2003 — More than 80 Asian expatriate workers at an electro-mechanical engineering firm in Riyadh have been living without pay for the past seven months, and according to the Indian Embassy their Saudi sponsor has gone underground.
Many of the workers at the Omar A. Bin Basher and Partners Company are eager to leave the Kingdom but are unable to because their passports are still in the possession of the sponsor’s company, as required by Saudi law.
One worker has told Arab News that he paid SR5,000 so that the company could transfer his iqama to another company. Not only is this illegal according to Saudi law, but the sponsor in any case merely took the money and then failed to provide the service.
Many of the other workers’ iqamas have expired, so they are now technically overstayers.
The workers took their case to the Labor Court and two months ago it found in their favor. However, the Saudi sponsor failed to appear at any of the proceedings and the court’s judgment has still not been implemented.
Jamal Uddin, first labor secretary at the Bangladeshi Embassy, told Arab News that he was fully aware of the case. “The Saudi government is trying to implement the verdict,” he added, but cautioned that with over one million Bangladeshis working in the Kingdom it is difficult for the embassy itself to monitor every case.
The Indian Embassy is also aiding the workers.
Zikrur Rahman, the embassy’s first secretary, told Arab News that he had delegated an official to help the workers take their case through the courts.
The embassy also tried to contact the Saudi sponsor, but without success, so on Jan. 6 the Indian Embassy brought the workers’ plight to the attention of the government by approaching the Foreign Ministry and Riyadh Governor Prince Salman.
The Philippine Embassy told Arab News that it is also “following the case closely”.
The problems started from when the Greek nationals who set up the company had a major disagreement with the Saudi sponsor, who also owns about 25 percent of the company.
The sponsor had no practical involvement in the company, and only showed up once a month to collect his share of the profits.
The company legally ceased doing business in June 2002 as a result of the disagreement and the general manager disappeared on July 15, abandoning the workers.
Officials attempting to serve the court’s decision have been unable to find the sponsor, whose private office is also now closed.
Water and electric services have been cut off at the workers’ accommodation and their landlord wants to evict them. They have no money and little food.
