MADINAH: The Labor Office in Madinah has denied allegations by a group of medical workers that it sided with the owner of a local clinic to deprive them of their end-of-service claims.
“The Labor Office is impartial while dealing with complaints,” Abdul Khaled Al-Ateeq, director of the Labor Office in Madinah, said in a letter sent to Al-Eqtisadiah newspaper.
Thirty-two doctors and paramedics were left jobless after health authorities shuttered the clinic for violation of regulations.
The health workers complained that their employer forced them to waive a major share of their monetary claims. They also alleged that the Labor Office mounted pressure on them in favor of the clinic’s owner by delaying the processing of their complaints.
They said they have been waiting in front of the Labor Office over the past two weeks demanding either the settlement of their claims in full or, if that was not possible, permission to work elsewhere.
“The office has succeeded in bringing about a settlement between the employer and a number of workers.
However, the complaints of the workers who refused settlement have been forwarded to the Preliminary Labor Dispute Board for necessary action,” Al-Ateeq said.
Some of the workers who signed the settlement agreement said they were subjected to pressure by one of the investigators.
Merfat Subhi, an expatriate nurse, said, “An investigator reminded me that I may have to face deportation if I go ahead with my complaint.”
Muhammad Al-Khalousi, a Syrian doctor, said he would not yield to any unjust pressure to relinquish their rightful claims and would press ahead with his complaint.
