Over 250 workers of seven nationalities gathered around the Jeddah Labor Office Sunday, demanding an official intervention in a case of late payment of wages against a sub-contracted company working at the construction site of King Abdullah University of Science and technology (Kaust). In response to an earlier complaint with the Labor Office, the workers were given an appointment to see the legal advisor at the Labor Office Sunday. The workers said that their wages were four months overdue, citing an alleged lack of funds at the sub-contracted company, which is run by fellow Arab expatriates. The workers were also seeking overtime pay, which the company said it would pay after Haj. In four months, the workers received only SR600 each in emergency cash before the Eid holiday. The workers demanded an immediate payment of their late wages, termination of their contracts with end-of-service benefits, and one-way ticket back home. Jeddah Labor Office Director Qusai Al-Filali said that the case is still under investigation.
