Eighteen Egyptian and Sudanese expatriates have filed a complaint with the Makkah Region Labor Office demanding that their sponsor pay them about SR500,000 as their end of service benefits . While the Primary Court in the Labor Office is looking into the case, the complainants pointed out that their employer refused to pay them their dues and kept delaying the transfer of their sponsorship. This has forced them to stay at home until the court issues a verdict, they claimed. Muhammad Zaid, Ali Muhammad and Muhammad Mahmood, the affected employees, said the establishment's owner informed them several months ago that he intended to close down his establishment and asked them to look for other sponsors. But he kept delaying the process when he realized that they wanted their entitlements. The employees said they are forced to remain in their homes due to fear of being deported before receiving their rights. They pointed out that they intend to return to their countries as a result of the establishment's reneging on its promises after they had faithfully served it for years. An official source in the Labor Office said they had written to the sponsor to attend the discussions on the employees' case, but he was absent from the session which was held in July. – Okaz __
