The hundreds of Indian workers left stranded in Saudi Arabia following factory closures will be allowed to renew their residency permits, transfer their sponsorship or return home – all free of charge, it has been announced, according to a report in Saudi media.
An estimated 2,500 workers in five labour camps in the kingdom were reported to have been awaiting payment of their salaries for up to nine months after their employers closed the factories in which they worked.
Most of the workers had run out of money to pay for food and were unable to return home as their employers had retained their passports. They were reportedly very “distressed”, Indian Consul General Noor Rahman Sheikh was quoted as telling Saudi Gazette earlier this week.
Their plight was brought to the attention of the Indian government, which intervened to provide them with free food and also decided to send officials to the kingdom to discuss the issue with Saudi authorities.
On Tuesday it was reported that a Saudi company had agreed to hire 1,000 of the workers on transfer of their visas.
And, on Wednesday, Noor Rahman Sheikh reached an agreement with director-general of the Labor Department in Makkah, Abdullah Al Olayan, to help the remaining workers.
According to Saudi Gazette, a four-pronged solution has been devised: allowing the stranded workers to renew their residence permits free of charge; waiving fees for stamping exit visas if they wish to return to India; facilitating transfer of sponsorship, and transporting those who wish to go home on return Haj flights – which, the newspaper said, are usually almost empty.
“It was a positive meeting,” the consul general was quoted as saying. “The Saudi authorities have assured us they will provide all possible help.”
He added that the workers can register claims for due salaries and end of service benefits with the Ministry of Labor and Social Development.
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