Employees of Sama, an airline that ceased operations earlier this month, said they will lodge complaints Tuesday at the Labor Office bureaus in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam and file a lawsuit against the company after it laid them off Saturday without prior notice. It is learnt that the employees, who are suffering serious financial hardships, will demand reinstatement because Sama has not officially declared bankruptcy or that they be given jobs in companies owned by the airline's parent company. Employees will also demand payment of one year's salary as compensation for Sama not notifying them one month before they were be laid off, as stipulated by employment regulations. Sama, a low-cost airline based in Dammam founded in 2007 by Investment Enterprises Ltd., ceased operations on Aug. 24. Company officials said after the airline stopped flying that it did not receive government assistance it was led to believe was forthcoming and it could not compete against government-supported carriers. A large number of Sama employees have authorized a well-known law office in Jeddah to file the lawsuit; more than 95 employees from Jeddah have signed the proxy forms and others in Riyadh and Dammam have also done so, sources said. It is expected that the lawsuits will be addressed at the Labor Office headquarters in Riyadh and litigation will start immediately after Eid Al-Fitr, according to sources. About 900 airline employees were shocked on Saturday evening when they received a letter from the company's executive president informing them that Saturday would be their last day of employment and that they were to hand over any company property they had. Employees interviewed by Okaz/Saudi Gazette, said they are still in a state of shock after being laid off in this way, especially because most of them used their income to support their families and pay financial commitments.
