“Saudi King has instructed the officials to resolve the issue in two days”, she said.
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Riyadh- Saudi Labor Minister Mufarrej al-Haqbani expressed Saudi readiness to cover all expenditures of Indian labor workers wishing to go back home, in addition to the provision of legal aid to those in pursuit of legal justice against companies responsible for holding back salaries or other damages.
A source in the diplomatic corps based in Saudi Arabia told The Hindu over phone that many labour camps have been receiving Saudi relief material over the past one day. Saad al-Hariri and Saudi government officials could not immediately be reached for comment. So far 5,547 Indian workers have taken refuge in fourteen camps handled by Indian embassy in Riyadh. “This is my assurance to the country through Parliament…We will bring all of them back to India”, she had said.
Issues like logistics and modalities of a possible repatriation of the workers who want to return to India will be worked out during Singh’s visit.
“They have also agreed to allow transfer (of employees) to any other company within Saudi Arabia”.
The workers were mostly employed by Saudi construction companies and were laid off amid a slowdown in the industry caused by low global oil prices.
Asian activists and officials have said that thousands of jobless Indians, Filipinos, and Pakistanis are stranded and destitute in Saudi Arabia following the construction layoffs.
The news of workers’ suffering came to light last week when some Indian media outlets reported that around 10,000 Indian employees at the construction firm were facing food shortages.
“They have also permitted that those who are found suitable may be given another job”, she said.
Vikas Swarup, a spokesman for the foreign ministry, said Tuesday that initial number was an approximation, and that 7,700 Indian workers in 20 camps were affected by the crisis.
Saudi Oger has built some of the most grandiose complexes in Riyadh, including the palatial Ritz-Carlton hotel.
Ambassador in Saudi Arabia, Manzoorul Haq has said that cash aid is being distributed among Pakistanis who are stranded in Saudi Arabia’s Dammam while Saudi authorities have assured to get them their salaries from the employers as well.
India’s foreign minister Sushma Swaraj has appealed to an estimated three million Indians living in Saudi for help.
The Consul General said the Indian mission in Jeddah has ensured the provision of food for 2,530 Indian workers of one of the construction companies.
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On July 31, Swaraj tweeted that workers in Kuwait have also lost their jobs and are suffering food shortages, but that the situation there is more manageable.
