Over 15 employees working for Saher gathered at the company's headquarters in Al-Khaledyia District here recently in protest against the recent violence against one of their colleagues who was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp tool and a piece of broken glass. The protesting staff were demanding an improvement in their work conditions, better protection, medical insurance and a raise in salary. The company has promised to respond to their demands, Al-Watan newspaper reported. According to a company official, the Saher employee was attacked while on duty at Al-Kar Road in Makkah. The incident took place less than 24 hours after the police issued a warning against attacking Saher employees. Four men in a small pickup truck and another on a motorbike started throwing stones at the Saher car. The employee chased them and managed to stop them, but the man on the bike attacked him with a sharp tool and a piece of glass, the victim said. The attacked employee alleged that he has been attacked several times. He said all Saher employees work in split shifts and they currently receive SR4,000 in salary. Last week the driver of a Saher vehicle was killed when a man opened fire on the car in Al-Qwedeqeeh Governorate in Riyadh. It was the most violent attack on Saher workers since the system came into effect. Riyadh's traffic authority has promised to increase protection of Saher employees. Brig. Abdul Rahman Al-Miqbil, Director of the Riyadh Traffic Department, has vowed that those responsible for the death will not go unpunished. Saher aims to curb speeding on Saudi roads which were listed as the world's most dangerous roads in a 2009 World Health Organization report. However, there have been numerous cases where angry motorists have vented their rage on the Saher system, including smashing and shooting at Saher cameras and puncturing the tires of Saher vehicles.
