India said today it is negotiating with authorities in Saudi Arabia to repatriate thousands of migrant workers after they lost their jobs, leaving them destitute and with no money to return home.
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However that is being hampered by a Saudi requirement that workers provide a no-objection certificate from their employers before they can leave the country, she said.
Indian workers in Kuwait have also been affected, but Swaraj said while the situation in Kuwait is manageable, matters are much worse in Saudi Arabia.
India says it has chose to bring home 10,000 expatriates dying of starvation in Saudi Arabia which has laid off many foreign workers amid its worsening economic problems.
Sources said MoS M J Akbar is liaising with the Saudi authorities to ensure that the claims of all the Indian workers with unpaid dues are lodged and processed in accordance with law.
Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted that over 10,000 workers are facing a “food crisis” and “extreme hardship”. “I am monitoring this on hourly basis”, she said in another tweet. The External Affairs Ministry has given instructions to Indian embassy in Riyadh and consulate in Jeddah to provide the workers with food supply immediately.
The government is reportedly also discussing the possibility of paying the workers their due before they are brought back to the country.
The Consulate, in association with the Indian Community in Jeddah, has already distributed 15,475 kgs of food stuff and other items.
Low oil prices have forced the Saudi government to slash spending since a year ago, putting pressure on the finances of local construction firms which rely on state contracts. They said some 10,000 Indian workers have been affected by the economic slow down.
Lower oil prices have put increased pressure on the Saudi economy. Singh will travel to the Gulf nation in the next few days and it is aimed at resolving the crisis, sources said, adding that some of the Indian workers who were laid off from their jobs may prefer to come back to India.
“For the last seven months these Indian workers [employed by Saudi Oger] were not getting their salaries”, IANS quoted Indian Consul General in Jeddah Mohammed Noor Rahman Sheikh as saying over phone.
Saudi Oger did not respond to a call and an e-mail seeking comment. “If the workers’ problem continues, the cost of projects could go up”, he said.
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Swaraj asked the large Indian community residing in Saudi Arabia, who are better off than the dying workers, to help their compatriots during these tough times.
