A total of 255 workers have finally been paid their salaries by their company after a year-long wait. However, 40 expat workers have to wait a little longer because their salaries are frozen in their accounts as their Iqamas (residence permits) have not been renewed. Sources said that the company owed their workers in the Eastern Province and Riyadh a total of SR28 million and that it also refused to return their passports. A Riyadh compound owned by the company has since been reportedly sold to new owners. The 40 workers are hoping to contact the Passports Department to allow them to get their money from their accounts pending the renewal of their Iqamas. The new owners of the Riyadh compound “want to reduce our salaries, force us to work extra hours with no overtime, and do not offer accommodation,” said one worker who preferred to remain anonymous. The worker added that with SR2,400 he cannot manage and will have to look for a new sponsor, adding that some of his colleagues simply want to go home after getting their long-delayed salaries. The workers have previously lodged three complaints against their sponsor over delayed salaries and their end-of-service benefits. The first time their salaries were delayed was in 2009 and the workers then approached the Ministry of Labor and their respective embassies. The ministry tried to play the role of mediator a few months ago but the sponsor did not turn up for meetings. Hussain Al-Sharif, head of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), said his organization receives many complaints about delayed salaries and the non-renewal of Iqamas. Many protesting workers stopped working in Riyadh and Dammam after they were not paid by their sponsors. The Kingdom is now considering canceling the individual sponsorship system with workers being sponsored by a body set up under the auspices of the Ministry of Labor. However, the new system still needs to be approved by the Council of Ministers. __
