DAMMAM — The Labor Office in Al-Olaya region in the Eastern Province has settled a case of 47 workers who filed a joint complaint against their company for delaying their salaries for more than three months. Talking to local daily Al-Jazirah on Sunday, director of the Labor Office Abdullah Al-Anzi said the office received a joint complaint from the workers against their company, which is operating a hospital, that they have not been paid their wages for more than three months. "The office immediately moved, met with the officials of the company and gave them an ultimatum to pay the delayed salaries within 10 days else the company will be punished," he said. The director said labor Office officials visited the hospital to assess the condition of the workers, summoned the company's representative and issued him with a final warning. Anzi said delaying of salaries is a gross violation of the labor laws which make it imperative on employers to pay their employees regularly at the end of every month. He said the Labor Ministry has asked all private companies and establishments to strictly apply the "wage protection program" to avoid penalties including stoppage of all the ministry's services to them. The ministry has recently started the 10th phase of the program which covers companies and establishments with 80 workers or more. The program is one of the ministry's instruments to regulate the labor market, protect the workers' rights and have accurate and transparent data on salaries. Anzi said the program will reduce the number of the workers' complaints against delayed payments, create a healthy working atmosphere and increase production.
