Saudi King orders to pay unpaid salaries; SR100 million to be deposited

[email protected] (ARAB NEWS)
August 8, 2016

Jeddah, Aug 8: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman on Sunday issued a series of directives to agencies concerned to address once and for all the cases of distressed workers of companies who have contracts with the government.king web

The king directed the Minister of Labour and Social Development to take necessary measures, in coordination with the Ministry of Finance, to oblige contracting companies to pay the salaries of their employees in accordance with the government's Wage Protection Program that ensures workers' salaries are fully paid.

According to sabq.org, the directive is for the government not to release what it owes those companies unless the Labor Ministry confirms that the companies have paid on time what they owe their employees.

The king's directives comes amid increasing complaints by workers that they have not been paid their salaries for months. Construction giant Saudi Oger, for one, has been the subject of complaints by thousands of its workers for not paying their salaries for the past nine months.

The issue came to a head when hundreds of expatriate workers of the company marched on the streets in Jeddah to air their grievances, saying that Saudi Oger management has simply ignored them.

Accomodation, exit visas

In one of his directives on Sunday, King Salman authorized the labor minister to also immediately address the housing and accommodation services of the distressed workers by contracting with companies that provide such services.

While the government of India and the Philippines as well as their communities in the kingdom have rallied behind their compatriots at Saudi Oger by providing them food, those of other nationalities have reportedly not gotten the same attention.

According to the king's directive, the cost of these services for the distressed workers are to be deducted from the employers' receivables from the government.

The king also commissioned the labor minister to coordinate with the Saudi Arabian airlines to transport foreign workers who wish to return to their countries and to charge the cost to their employers. The labor minister is also authorized to contract with legal consultancy agencies to pursue the financial claims of the workers in local courts.

In the case of workers in distress who wish to leave the kingdom, the king directed the Passport Department to facilitate issuance of final exit visas in coordination with the Foreign Ministry and relevant agencies.

SR100 million fund

An amount of SR100 million is to be deposited in the Saudi Arab Fund account for use to fulfill the king's orders. The fund is to be under the disposal of the labor minister, who will provide the Ministry of Finance with all details of the expenditures and the amounts spent. The Finance Ministry will then deduct the spent amounts from the floundering companies' accounts.

The king also instructed the labor minister to meet with representatives of countries concerned to discuss the issue of unpaid salaries and to explain the steps taken by the kingdom to address such issues.

“King Salman also directed labor minister to coordinate with the minister of culture and information to highlight the kingdom's efforts aimed at ending the suffering of the distressed workers especially the Indian and the Filipino workers and to ensure that this case was a mere individual mishap by one company and the number of affected workers is insignificant compared with the millions of other expats who are working in the public and he private sectors in KSA,” Sabq.org said.

Comments

Mohammed SS
 - 
Tuesday, 9 Aug 2016

This is a true quality and nature of blood, there is no Gangasara and energy of Haram mixed with their blood like our Indian Bakwas ministers, long live KSA and King Salman for the prompt step and to prove that your country is a safest and peaceful in the world

Fairman
 - 
Monday, 8 Aug 2016

Dear Dombiah,

Please don't play dombarata.

Coastal Digest may pro-Saudi. But it is not anti national.

Though pockets of unrest here, Still Saudi is the safest and peaceful place to live on.

God bless KSA

Abdul Latif
 - 
Monday, 8 Aug 2016

Generosity...Al Hamdulillah

Irfan
 - 
Monday, 8 Aug 2016

May Allah bless kingdom and the King Salman for his kind gesture.
Even our Govt also did amazing job by reaching out to those hard working people.

Rikaz
 - 
Monday, 8 Aug 2016

Good job His Royal Highness! May Allah help you.....you are just doing exactly what is said in the Holy Book of Quran....

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News Network
January 12,2020

Bengaluru, Jan 12: Protesters plan to intensify their anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act movement from sit-down satyagrahas and rallies to street and door-to-door campaigns in different parts of the city.

The street campaigns began on January 1 with 20-30 volunteers of Hum Bharat Ke Log, reaching out to people in Koramangala and Whitefield and explaining the CAA, National Population Register (NPR), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and related issues. They have organised four campaigns.

According to Zia Nomani, member of Hum Bharat Ke Log, the campaign will intensify soon. “Over 200-400 volunteers will organise nukkad sabhas and other activities around JP Nagar and Banashankari,” Nomani said.

She added that though protests began as a medium for people to vent their concerns, more needs to be done.

“We have realised that many people have begun working on their personal documents and want to help them understand what CAA is all about,” Nomani said.

Volunteers will talk to people at street junctions, discuss issues and run signature campaigns. They say: “Our movement is focussed on reaching out to people. Pro-CAA workers too started a door-to-door campaign last week.”

Avani Chokshi, an advocate who participated in a campaign, said though people had a cursory idea about these issues, they didn’t know the details. “It through such campaigns that we can reach more people. It’s important to talk to people who haven’t made up their mind about the issues or are even pro-CAA,” said Avani, adding, “It hard to combat hatred in a short span of time. The movement needs to be sustained.”

Activist Geeta Menon, who has been at the forefront of the street campaign, says they were heckled at some places.

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coastaldigest.com news network
May 31,2020

Mangaluru, May 31: The bus services by private operators in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi Districts will begin from tomorrow (June 1) with 15 per cent hike in the fares, Canara Bus Owners Association president Rajavarma Ballal said on Sunday.

In a statement issued here, he said that the members of the Association have appealed for a 3-month tax break. ''We have received tax breaks for 2 months and have demanded for an additional month again,'' he added.

He said that the government has agreed to a 15 per cent hike in bus fares. All the passes issued already will be converted into cash cards and no discounts will be available till the end of the COVID-19 crisis.

An added attraction in private buses will be the option of paying travel fares through smart cards.

According to Dakshina Kannada Bus Operators Association president Dilraj Alva, 50 per cent of 325 private city buses will resume their services on Monday. It also meant that 50 per cent of buses will operate on the allotted routes.

The smart cards (or travel cards called Chalo Card) will not be introduced on all routes at a time. They will be introduced in a phased manner covering all routes from Monday.

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News Network
April 10,2020

Bengaluru, Apr. 10: Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar on Thursday appealed to party workers to save the lives of people of the state and show solidarity with the people in need amid the coronavirus lockdown.

"Humble appeal to Congress party workers that the time has come to do our best to save the lives of people of Karnataka. Hospitals across Karnataka are running short of blood. This is a call for able-bodied to volunteer & donate blood. Let us show solidarity with people in need," Shivakumar tweeted.

With 16 fresh COVID-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours, the total number of confirmed cases in Karnataka reached 197 on Thursday, according to the state's Health Department.

India's total COVID-19 cases rose to 5,865 on Thursday, with 591 new cases reported in the last 24 hours, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

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