Workers say over 14,000 violations not registered DAMMAM – Twenty five employees of the company contracted to run the Saher system in the Eastern Province claim that they have gone on strike over alleged delayed salary payments. They have yet to receive their September salaries, they claimed. The employees say that they have been protesting since Saturday, which has allegedly resulted in the failure to register more than 14,000 traffic violations into the Saher system. This number will increase as long as the employees do not work, it has been claimed, according to a report in Al-Hayat newspaper. The agreement between the system's operating company and the Traffic Administration stipulates that a violation must be entered within seven days of being issued otherwise it is cancelled. The company has denied that employees are on strike, and accused them of spreading rumors in the media. A number of employees told the newspaper that they had approached the company's management “repeatedly” to pay them on time, but with little success. “The repeated promises by the company's management forced us to file a complaint with the company's owner in Jeddah.” “We have loans, rents and other installments to pay while the company delays paying our September salaries,” one of the employees said. They went to the company's director in the Eastern Province after the accounting department delayed the payment of their salaries and could not give them a precise date for when payment would be made. The employee said that the director was rude to them during their meeting. “He responded by saying, ‘Are you a bunch of women?'” A letter sent by the employees to the company's headquarters in Jeddah, stated that they did not receive their September salaries despite promises made to them by the Eastern Province manager. “He told us ‘tomorrow you will get the salaries', but this has not happened to date.” “We hope you can help us solve this problem because most of the employees have financial commitments and some are married,” the letter stated. They said that their contracts with the company end at the end of this year and “we don't know whether we will get our dues from the contracting company”. Khaled Abdul Jawwad, the company's Eastern Province director, said that work is taking place normally and dismissed claims as “incorrect” that there has been a failure to enter data into the Saher system. The employees said that the contracted company, which represents an Australian company responsible for Saher, has never supported them either “morally or logistically”. “The only thing we get from it is the monthly salary, and that is delayed,” they said. “For example, the company has not subscribed to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and that means we cannot get a letter of recognition because it has to be approved by the chamber,” one of the employees said. “Another thing is that there are no incentives; no difference between a hard-working employee and those who do not work hard at this company,” he added. At the main headquarters in Jeddah, there are 12 employees who get the same salary, but receive payment five days before the end of the month, they claimed.
