Fifty expatriate workers in Al-Ahasa who had not been paid for six months will finally get their salaries after Arab News published a story of their plight last month.

Syed Hammad Abid, the community welfare attaché at the Pakistan Embassy in Riyadh, told Arab News that the company’s management would soon settle the workers’ problems. Some would be given exit visas to go home.

Abid said the embassy had done everything to help, including contacting the Saudi Foreign Ministry and the governor of the Eastern province for assistance.

“We received an assurance from the company’s management that they also sent a request to the labor office and governor’s office to help them settle the workers’ problems.”

Mohammed Ashraf, an expatriate who worked at the firm for 15 years, will be given an exit visa because of his failing health.

Mohammad Qasim, one of the workers, thanked Arab News for its efforts. He urged the newspaper to follow up on their case to ensure the company fulfills its promises.

The workers told Arab News that members of a family who owned the company were fighting about who should control the enterprise. This had resulted in them neglecting their workers.

The dispute about the company’s ownership had been going on for many years, with the company on the verge of closing down, the workers said.