THE construction workers of the company executing the King Abdullah Financial District Project in Riyadh have stopped working because they have not been paid their wages for the past three months. The company forced its workers to such desperation that they assembled along a major street in Riyadh and obstructed traffic. This is not the first incident of its kind in the Kingdom and will certainly be not the last. However, this incident is unique as it was not expected that a company implementing a mega project would not give its laborers their due rights. Could anyone have imagined that a company entrusted to implement a project in which more than 100 skyscrapers extending over an area of 1.6 million square meters will be unable to pay the wages of its workers? The company should be aware that any mistakes it commits may reflect negatively on the reputation of the Kingdom and the project itself. It is obvious that it has the funds to pay its workers otherwise it would have never won the project in the first place. It is unfortunate that delays in paying workers their wages have become a routine practice to the point of habit for a number of our companies. The situation could have been avoided had supervisors done their jobs properly. At best, most supervisors only look at operational factors while remaining oblivious to the importance of upholding the rights of laborers. The inability of the supervising bodies to do their work properly is further worsened by the absence of a system defining the relationship between the executing companies and their manpower especially when it comes to neglecting the rights of workers. If we consider the bureaucracy companies executing projects routinely face in getting their respective financial dues, we will come to know why our projects are delayed and why laborers go unpaid for months. Of course, the use of reconciliation which usually results in the return of workers to their jobs represents a big temptation to companies to continue to disregard the rights of their workers. Reconciliation efforts are also good for the workers as they ensure the intervention of the concerned authorities. The stoppage of work at the King Abdullah Financial District Project was not the first such incident but it should be the last. We should draft laws that penalize companies that delay projects and fail to pay their workers and also punish those who do not pay these companies their dues on time. If we fail to do this, we will be known as the country that announce ambitious, multi-billion riyal projects but fails to pay its workers on time.
