After refusing to work for five days, Saher employees in the Riyadh region were back on the job, Monday after their employer promised to consider offering them more money and greater protection. Saher employees are afraid because earlier this month a colleague was shot dead while driving a Saher vehicle in western Riyadh. In the same region Wednesday, a Saher driver died when his vehicle was set alight by unknown assailants. A Saher employee told Al-Hayat Arabic daily that the employees took action after the incidents in Riyadh. “After the death of our colleague, we stopped working and demanded four things from the company: better protection, a danger allowance, stricter penalties on Saher attackers and a percentage of daily profits. The company makes SR30,000 daily in profits and we only get a meager percentage. The company promised to consider our demands and issue a decision at the end of this month. If they don't meet our demands, we'll see what we'll do.” The Saher employee said that anyone who attacks a Saher vehicle should have his name published in the newspapers. The current penalties are not sufficient to deter attackers because anyone who attacks a Saher vehicle or employee will only get a few days in detention and is then released after signing an undertaking not to repeat the offense, the employee added. Moreover, patrol vehicles should stay longer with Saher vehicles, not stay a short time then leave, he pointed out. “Many attackers remove their license plates so that they cannot be identified.” The Traffic Department promised to provide protection to Saher employees, he said. Such protection will be pointless and useless if a security officer comes without his vehicle, he explained.
