Summary
Prepared for review.
- Over 50 Nepali workers employed at Hussein Bin Ali Ateef in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, have reported not receiving wages for five to six months and are seeking rescue.
- The victims have stated that the company has denied them food, accommodation, and even water, imposed irregular work schedules, and issued threats.
- Complaints lodged with Nepal’s manpower agencies, local agents, and the embassy have not resolved the issues, prompting the workers to post videos on social media to raise awareness.
March 6, Kathmandu – Nepali workers employed at Hussein Bin Ali Ateef in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, are currently facing severe difficulties. These workers, recruited through manpower companies including Nepal Life Recruitment based in Gaushala, Kathmandu, arrived in Saudi Arabia almost two years ago but are now encountering significant problems.
They have been demanding assistance due to the company’s consistent failure to provide wages, food, and accommodation. Over 50 Nepalis, engaged under two-year labor contracts to work in building construction, have been enduring these hardships.
Despite working in temperatures reaching 50 degrees Celsius, the contractor has withheld their wages, barred them from work, and failed to provide even basic necessities like food and water. The workers report not being paid for five to six months. Those affected told the media that both the manpower agencies and the contracting company, present in Nepal and Saudi Arabia, have exacerbated the issues.
One victim said the company has not paid wages for five to six months and has provided no food or lodging. “Some individuals are owed three months’ wages, others four, and some six months. Although we repeatedly pressured the company to pay, they only promised to do so but never delivered. They assign work but do not pay,” he explained.
The workers reported that the company often assigns work for only one month, then suspends them from work the following month, and deducts wages during such leave periods. “We are told not to report to work and are placed on leave, yet when on leave, our wages are cut,” they stated. While some workers receive 400 or 600 Riyals monthly, they are supposed to be paid 1500 Riyals per month. “How can one feed oneself or support family with only 600 Riyals?” they questioned.
The company claims to have provided free visas, but the workers have incurred expenses exceeding 200,000 Nepali Rupees. „We came with debts as high as NPR 225,000, yet the company claims the visas are free,” the victims disclosed.
Before departure, manpower agencies and local agents in Nepal promised a 10-hour workday, including 9 hours of work and 1 hour of rest. However, the workers revealed that on workdays they often work the full 10 hours without any overtime payment.
“No matter how much overtime we complete, no payment is made. The commute between living quarters and the worksite takes 2 to 3 hours, so on workdays, we often spend 12 to 16 hours including travel,” one worker reported.
The victims stated they have not received any response to their complaints filed with manpower companies in Nepal and Saudi Arabia, local agents, or the Nepali embassy. Frustrated, they posted videos on social media to expose their situation, after which the company allegedly increased pressure on them.
“Unable to get attention otherwise, we were forced to make a video and post it on social media. For over a month, not even breakfast has been provided,” they said.
They have not been assigned work for the past 15 days, and despite asking to be sent home, were threatened they could not leave before completing the full two years of their contract. “We are threatened with beatings or worse and forced to complete the two years at all costs,” the workers said. All Nepali employees in the company reportedly face similar problems and threats when they try to voice concerns.
“We have not been given breakfast for over a month. When work stopped, both breakfast and meals were discontinued,” they added.
Some victims have not been paid for five months, while others have gone four to six months without wages. “We are forced to use the mosque restroom because the company has locked the toilets with tablets,” they claimed.
Another victim from Itahari, who arrived through Mobira Overseas, said manpower and agents have ignored their pleas. Coming with debt and leaving family behind for work, they face threats and punishments when seeking fair wages and conditions.
“The idea was to send money back to support our children’s education and provide good food and clothes, but instead, we face penalties. After working two days, we get four days leave,” he stated.
Additionally, the workers reported that sick employees are denied treatment and that promises of health insurance have yet to be fulfilled.
