The 40 expat workers who were unable to receive their delayed salaries due to their bank accounts being frozen have been paid in cash, a source said Tuesday. Saudi Gazette reported on April 5 that 255 workers in Riyadh and the Eastern Province were paid their salaries after a year-long ordeal, which began when the compound they worked in was purchased by another company. However, 40 of those workers whose Iqamas were not renewed could not access their bank accounts. The company owed the 255 workers a total of SR28 million. Having received their money, the workers can decide to either leave the country on a final exit visa or transfer their Iqamas to the new company's sponsorship. The workers faced a hard time for a year, as the sponsor kept their passports and did not pay them and refused to renew their Iqamas. The workers had to take loans to survive and some of them had to take their children out of school. 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 wished to remain anonymous. Some of the workers have worked for the company for over 16 years, the source told Saudi Gazette by phone. The workers in the past lodged three complaints against their sponsor over delayed salaries and 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 he receives many complaints about delayed salaries and the non-renewal of Iqamas. __
