DAMMAM — They wanted to carry rag-to-riches story with them back home but instead with a shattered dream they will narrate their nightmare to their family and friends and caution the guy next door not to be deceived by lure of the Gulf riches. Despite dozens of reforms undertaken by the Labor department to protect the rights of expatriate workers, their woes remain unabated with the list of official complaints around the Kingdom increasing by the day compounding the sufferings of workers and their family members. In a recent case, more than 120 expatriate workers — 80 Indians and the rest from Pakistan and Nepal — initially filed a case against their employers at Jubail Labor Office for non-payment of salaries, bad living conditions and breach of agreement. According to the workers, who were hired from their respective countries as trailer drivers, they were deployed on a road construction project in Ras Al-Khair. The Jubail Labor Court admitted their complaint but directed them to approach Al-Khobar Labor Office since the employing company was Khobar-based and all the files and documents were in possession of the employing company's head office in Al-Khobar The exasperated workers en mass shifted to Al-Khobar and filed a case there but due to "some technical reasons" nothing has moved until this date. The case was filed in October and the Khobar Labor Office set a Nov. 12 hearing and summoning employers also. The employing company in retaliation lodged a case against the employees of being fugitive (huroob). What makes the case more interesting is the fact that out of 120 employees nearly 40 have not yet received their iqama (residence permits) and obviously no driving license and still they were given heavy vehicles to drive and carry on the project. Even these workers have been listed as huroob (fugitive). These "fugitive" workers visit the Al-Khobar Labor Office almost every week and meet company officials every day pleading for their salaries and exit from the Kingdom. If they are fugitive or huroob, then why no action is being taken against them? Moreover when the employing company has not yet procured iqama for 40 of them then how can they call those 40 non-iqama employees huroob? What makes the situation worst is that the workers are being harassed and threatened and now they are not willing to pursue their case. Some workers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Public Relations Officer of the local company has offered them an "amicable" solution under which each worker will pay SR3,000 to the company and it will provide them safe passage back home. It is reported that a handful of workers have already left and almost all of them have yielded to this blackmail and now don't want to talk to media nor to take up the matter to the appropriate authority. "What is the use. We have been pleading for the past three months with the embassy officials but without any success. Please don't write anything. We are arranging money and we want to go back home as soon as possible," said Muhammad Sabir (not real name). These unfortunate workers had paid somewhere between SR7,000 to SR9,000 to unscrupulous recruiting agents in India despite stringent laws there as well as strict screening by Saudi missions in India. "We had sold our wives' jewelry, and took loans in search of "promised" fortunes in Saudi Arabia. From childhood I have been listening stories of rag-to-riches of the returnees from the Gulf. But what I got is worst nightmare of my life. I already lost everything when I 'bought' the visa in Mumbai," Mukesh, (Not real name) from Punjab said. Social workers assisting these unfortunate victims of unscrupulous agents and Saudi sponsors say that there is a whole chain of people from different bodies who are involved in this "visa trade" racket. As per Saudi law, no foreign employee is liable to pay any fee to his employer or agent. On the contrary, the employer is required to pay airfare, medical examination fee and other processing fee. But in practice the story is other way round. The fortune hunters sell their land, jewelry and other valuables to pay to the agents. What is absolutely beyond perception is that how could Indian missions attest contract copies without proper checks and similarly how could Saudi missions stamp visa without proper authentication of contract copies of the hired expatriate workers. The Saudi government has apparently put in place a 100 percent fool-proof system for the hiring of foreign workforce but unfortunately the problem starts in the execution of those procedures. It is about time for respective authorities in Saudi Arabia as well as countries that are more focused to increase their foreign exchange reserves at the cost of their suffering nationals to crack down on recruiting agents and their touts as well as those Saudis who are trading in employment visas.
