MADINAH — More than 1,300 contract workers at the King Fahd Qur'an Printing Complex in Madinah were served with termination notice on Tuesday. The employees were asked to contact the Human Resources and Administration Department at Saudi Oger Co. to complete the end of service procedures, according to a copy of the notice obtained by Saudi Gazette. The terminated Saudi staffers have been directed to register their names with the Saned program of the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) for monthly subsistence allowance until they get new jobs. According to the notice, contracts with the employees had been terminated effective Sep. 3. The termination notice came as a sudden shock to most of the employees who are struggling to make ends meet due to the delay in salaries and allowances over the past several months. A large number of employees have approached lawyers to secure their rights in the event of the company's failure to fulfill contractual obligations. Their main demand is to transfer their service to the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance. It is noteworthy that the ministry recently invited bids from qualified firms to operate the complex after the termination of contract with Saudi Oger. Most of the terminated employees had been working with the Complex since many years. Meanwhile, hundreds of Pakistani construction workers are to fly home from Saudi Arabia this week but without the salaries they have waited months to receive, embassy officials said. — With agencies
