A group of Asian workers in Saudi Arabia have reportedly filed a legal case alleging that they have not been paid their salaries in more than a year.
Some of the workers’ visas and residence permits have expired but their employer has yet to renew them, according to Saudi Gazette.
The labour office in Yanbu, in the Madinah region of Saudi Arabia, has reportedly told the workers their case will be fast-tracked to a higher employment court.
However, it could be another three weeks before a heading is scheduled due to procedural issues, it was said.
One of the workers, a janitor named as Mushtaq, told the newspaper his visa and medical insurance card expired seven months ago.
“I have had to take my children out of school in Pakistan,” he said. “I fear they will not be able to join the new academic year if I do not get my dues.”
Another worker, named as Sagheer Khan, was quoted as saying: “I do not have even a single riyal to go anywhere and find another job. Many of us cannot move around because we do not have valid Iqamas [residency visas].”
The workers have contacted their embassies for assistance in the meantime.
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