Petition writers plead for better working conditions

Author: 
BADEA ABU AL-NAJA | ARAB NEWS
Publication Date: 
Sun, 2010-11-21 00:53

The writers are mostly old and with poor formal education. They use umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun, which during summer days sends the mercury up to 46 degrees.
Their major complaint is that the Makkah municipality has hardly done anything to solve their problems. They have been repeatedly demanding the municipality to provide them with kiosks.
Arab News observed from close quarters the harsh work environment in which they earn their livelihood.
Saudi Al-Towaireqi, 48, is married with four children and has been working as a petition writer in front of the Makkah High Court for the past 20 years.
The Makkah municipality issued a warning to him and other petition writers against working in front of the court two years ago.
The petition writers met the court director and appealed for his help. The director took up their issue with municipal officials and dissuaded them from confiscating their offices, he said.
The municipality also agreed that the petition writers could continue their jobs temporarily but should draft only petitions involving family and rights violations and the maximum fee for a document should be SR30. For ordinary petitions, the charge is SR20, he said.
He starts work at 7 a.m. and stops around the time of the noon prayer (Dhuhr). His office furniture consists only of a creaky desk and a few small chairs for customers. His daily earnings range between SR70 and SR120.
Fifty-five-year old Salem Al-Maulid has been in the trade for over 10 years. Al-Maulid loves to draft petitions because it is a flexible job. He works continuously from 7 a.m. to 2.30 in the afternoon.
He said his only disappointment is that the municipality did not provide him and other writers with kiosks so that they might work without exposing themselves to the risk of sunstroke.
He said his work was not very different from the work of lawyers because he has to have a good knowledge of Saudi law in order to draft good petitions.
Muhammad Hassan, 53, says the most difficult days were during Ramadan because while fasting he would get dehydrated quickly.
He believes that a kiosk where he can work in would solve many of his problems. Apart from the sun, the rain would also damage all his papers. He also complained of thieves stealing his sparse office furniture.

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