DHAKA: About 850 expatriate workers have been on strike in Yanbu for a week over the nonpayment of salaries by their employer, a Turkish construction company.

A total of 700 workers are from India and Pakistan, with 150 hailing from Bangladesh, Nepal and Turkey. They claim they have not been paid for five months.

The Turkish company won contracts for housing projects from the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu and has operated in the region for three years. The workers claim the company has not heeded their pleas for payment.

Many workers told Arab News that their families back home are suffering and had to borrow money for Ramadan and Eid. “We are now in the same situation for the upcoming Eid Al-Adha. We don’t have money to even recharge our prepaid SIM cards to make calls,” said one worker.

The workers said they also face several problems at their accommodation in Yanbu, including having their water supply cut off because they could not pay their bills.

They have lodged complaints with the Ministry of Labor and the governor’s office. The authorities have called the workers, contractor and client to a meeting next week to resolve the issue, said the workers.

They said the company claims it cannot pay them because it has not received money from its client. However, the client has not paid because it claims the housing projects are behind schedule.

BDST: 0829 HRS, SEP 30, 2013
AKA/RK