Over 300 workers engaged in maintenance work in Al-Qassim University are on strike for over a month demanding payment of their back wages. The striking workers have filed a lawsuit against their sponsor, a private company, with the region's Labor Office. The Labor Office has started investigations and in the meantime also referred the case to the office of the Al-Qassim Region Emir. The striking workers allege non-payment of their wages for the last eight months. A company official, when contacted, refused to go into the specifics of the case, only pointing out that the company's management in Riyadh was responsible for the situation. The university has approached other companies for the required manpower. Dr. Ahmed Al-Reqaibah, Vice President of the university, said his institution has paid all dues to the private establishment supplying the manpower to it. Only recently, he said, about a million riyals were paid to the company, but the latter did not show any documents proving that it has paid the workers their salaries. “It is the university's right to take the help of another company to continue the work,” he said adding that the case was now with the Emir's Office. – Okaz __
