He said the Indian embassy was also preparing lists for workers for filing claims and of those who wanted to go back to India and thanked the Saudi government “for very positive action and magnanimous attitude exhibited”.
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M J Akbar, India’s minister of state for external affairs in charge of the Gulf region, after a meeting with Saudi ambassador Saud bin Mohamed al-Sati, said the Saudis had assured to resolve all outstanding issues including that of the stranded workers.
Over the weekend, India’s consulate in Jiddah said its staff helped deliver more than 15,000 kilograms (34,000 pounds) of food to workers in need of assistance in camps throughout Saudi Arabia. “Saudi King has instructed the officials to resolve the issue in two days”, she said.
Saudi Authorities have also made arrangements to provide free medical, food and other basic facilities in the camps where Indian workers are staying.
Workers at one of the camps told CNNMoney that their bosses at Oger stopped showing up to work about seven months ago, and they had heard nothing from the company since.
Indian Embassy in Riyadh will follow up with the Labour Office of Saudi Arabia to get all the dues of workers cleared, she said.
He said Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh would be leaving for Jeddah on Tuesday night via Dubai. The situation for these employees has now turned into a humanitarian crisis, after the company stopped providing them with food or collecting trash at the camps where majority live.
Indian officials said almost 3,200 Indian workers in Riyadh had not been paid their salaries for several months.
In May, Saudi Binladin Group – one of the world’s largest construction companies – began paying delayed wages to its remaining staff.
There are roughly 3 million Indians employed in Saudi Arabia, which depends on foreign workers to fill jobs in its services, manufacturing, and construction sectors.
A lot of them who work for construction companies are stranded without money or food for the past seven months.
Around 10,000 Indian workers in Saudi Arabia have lost their jobs amid the crisis. “The Bangladeshis are also getting some help from their fellow Indian co-workers”, Mizanur Rahman, a worker from Faridpur, told the British media outlet.
He said that companies which violate laws meant for protection of workers’ rights would be dealt with strongly.
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General (Retd.) Singh said things were not as bad as it was projected, adding that they were in touch with officials of Government of Saudi Arabia.
