Bangladesh has increased the minimum wages for its unskilled workforce in the Kingdom to SR550. S. M. Haroun, Labor Consular at the Bangladeshi Embassy in Riyadh, was quoted by Al-Watan daily that his government had to increase the minimum wages due to a number of factors. He claimed that 50 percent of the Bangladeshis working in the Kingdom get far less than what is indicated in their contracts. He said authorities in charge of overseas Bangladeshi workers have informed Saudi companies, establishments and business owners about his government's decision which will be enforced with effect from June 1. Jam'an Al-Zahrani, Employees Affairs Director in one of the biggest Service companies in the Kingdom, rejected all claims made by the Bangladeshi embassy official. "We have invited the Bangladeshi Consul to visit our office and check for himself the situation of these workers ranging from housing, salary and food. But no Bangladeshi official visited us." he said. Bangladeshi workers in the Kingdom are increasingly involved in crimes, as indicated by statistics released by Riyadh Police Department. This has led many to call for a halt in hiring employees from Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi employees on the other hand, have their own set of complaints. They say their employers do not pay them the agreed salary as mentioned in the contract. "I signed a contract with my employer for SR400 monthly," said a Bangladeshi employee. "But when I came here I was shocked that SR50 were deducted from my salary without reason and another SR100 were taken as Iqama fees. So I was paid SR250 a month which is far less than what was mentioned in the agreement," he said. Another Bangladeshi worker who preferred to stay anonymous admitted that some Bangladeshi workers committed crimes. He justified their action by saying that they are frustrated for being paid less than what they expected __
