MADINAH, 26 February 2008 — Over 200 Asian workers who have not been paid their salaries for 10 months gathered in front of the Madinah Municipality building on Sunday to urge officials to ask their employer to pay them their wages and improve their living conditions.
Officials allowed three workers into the building to explain their case. Police officers were also on the scene to document the workers’ complaints.
The workers drew officials’ attention to the fact that their iqamas had become invalid and that their places of residence have no electricity and experience sewage problems. The workers had gathered at the same location on Feb. 4 to lodge a complaint with the municipality about their plight. The municipality transferred the case to the Labor Office, but no action was taken to ease their situation.
The workers had also consulted the police, the Civil Affairs Department and Passport Department, but each government office absolved itself of responsibility.
Col. Mohsin Al-Radadi, the spokesman for the Madinah police, told Al-Watan newspaper that his department was coordinating with the Labor Office to bring an end to the workers’ plight.
