Seven Indian workers have for the past 20 days been living and sleeping in the open air outside the office of their company's headquarters in the Sulai District here to protest alleged violations of their work contract. Earlier this month the group of seven truck drivers traveled from Jeddah to protest what they say has been a reduction in the salary stipulated in their contract and nonpayment of allowances. Since they have nowhere to go, the men have been living right outside the doors of the office for the past 20 days. The workers arrived in Riyadh as truck drivers one year ago after signing an employment contract in India that stipulated a basic monthly salary of SR800 and an additional SR200 as food allowance. The workers were also told that their place of work would be in Riyadh and its suburban areas. However, upon their arrival in Riyadh they were forced to work in the company's water distribution project in Jeddah. The management also reduced the basic monthly salary from SR800, as agreed upon in the employment contract, to SR650. Moreover, the company's management has deducted fees for the issuance of the Iqama (residence permit) and driving license. The workers were accommodated at a makeshift labor camp in Buraman, some 30 kilometers from Jeddah, the site of the project. The workers complain that the accommodation is not safe as their belongings were frequently stolen. As per Saudi labor laws, an employer is responsible for providing free accommodation, transport, medical care, paid vacation (annual or as stipulated in the employment contract) and for bearing all costs of Iqamas and driving licenses if the workers are recruited as house or heavy commercial drivers. Kabul Singh, one of the truck drivers, told Saudi Gazette that it has not been easy living outdoors for the past 20 days, as the weather in Riyadh is getting colder and there are concerns over seasonal infectious diseases, such as influenza which pose health risk factors. “We traveled from Jeddah to the company's headquarters in Riyadh after our repeated pleas to the area chief about the violation of our employment contract fell on deaf ears. It is the 20th day and we have run out of money so that we cannot even buy food from the restaurant,” he said . Singh said the company does not even pay for overtime and allowances for trips made on a regular basis. “We don't even have a weekly day off. If we are absent even once on Friday, our salary is deducted,” he said. Latheef Thetchy, an official of the social organization Kerala Relief Wing (KRW), said that upon his intervention the company agreed to allow the workers to stay in the labor camp for two days – Thursday and Friday. The company's management has agreed to hold talks Saturday to settle the labor dispute, he said. “However, it all depends on Saturday's talks with the company as to whether or not the striking workers, as per their demand, will be allowed to go home on an exit only visa,” Thetchy explained. He said KRW also filed a legal case in the labor court and approached Riyadh Emirate for a speedy settlement of the labor dispute. Six of the truck drivers belong to various cities in the northern Indian state of Punjab and one is from Delhi. The workers are Bachan Singh and Lakhwinder Singh from Ludhiana, Sucha Singh (Batala), Kabal Singh and Gurdhian Singh (Sangrur), Pawan Kumar (Hoshiarpur) and Nasrudeen Nizam from Delhi.
