Saudi Gazette report HAFR AL-BATEN — After seven years in service at the education department in Hafr Al-Baten, northeast of Saudi Arabia, 300 employees working on daily wages were let go from their position and their contracts were not renewed. Several sacked employees have urged the Education Ministry to look into their situation because they have families and other financial obligations and they will be in trouble if they did not fulfill them. The official spokesman of the Education Ministry in Hafr Al-Baten said they have received directives from the ministry not to renew any contract on daily wages, Al-Madina Arabic daily reported. Musallat Al-Shammari, a sacked Saudi employee, said that the decision was unfair. “We knew from the beginning that we were on daily wages. We have asked the previous head of the education department to hire us on permanent jobs but that did not happen. We have applied many times to correct our situation but nothing happened. Now that our contracts are not renewed, we are facing an uncertain future,” he said. Fahd Al-Shammari, another sacked Saudi employee, said that the decision came without any warning. We have people with higher degrees and with families and children. We have financial obligations. We do not mind staying in our previous status as daily wagers. We do not want them to increase our salaries or even hire us in permanent positions. We have been living like this for seven years. This decision is totally unfair and we call on the ministry to look into our situation and find a solution for us,” he said. Abdullah Al-Unaizi, another sacked employee, said: “This decision is strange and shocking. We do not know why were not employed officially and remained on daily wages for seven years. They keep saying that there are no openings at the ministry and once there is a position available then they will employ us.” The issue of the 300 sacked employees was circulating on social media for some time and has gained many sympathy from people who are asking why they were sacked just days before Ramadan. Madina daily contacted an official in the education department in Hafr Al-Baten, Ibrahim Al-Suleiman, who said that they did not fire the 300 employees. But they were directed by the ministry not to renew any contracts of people on daily wages. The same source said that whenever there was a job opening, everyone competed fairly, including those on daily wages, and the employment is based on merit and qualification.