Saudi Gazette report

 

MADINAH — Some 2,600 street cleaners have stopped work in protest against nonpayment of wages, Al-Madinah daily reported.



The workers are worried that the contracting company, which failed to pay them on time, may not pay them at all as its contract with the Madinah Municipality is ending soon. The cleaners also said the company may not pay them their end-of-service benefits.



The strike has caused uncollected garbage to accumulate in several neighborhoods and empty plots amid complaints and worries voiced by citizens over the temporary solutions the municipality continues to come up for the problem.



Last year, workers went on a similar strike and the streets were strewn with garbage for weeks.



Citizen Ibhraim Al-Baloushi said garbage accumulated quickly after the cleaners went on strike. “In a matter of few hours, there were piles of trash everywhere followed by swarms of mosquitoes and flies,” he said.



Abdulaziz Mahlawi, another resident of Madinah, voiced concerns about the health risks residents are being exposed to as a result of the uncollected garbage.



He also questioned why the ministry doesn’t have a contingency plan in place. “This is not the first time Bangladeshi street cleaners have stopped worked due to nonpayment of wages. The ministry should have a plan to deal with such situations,” he said.



According to citizen Hani Al-Harbi, several companies should be awarded cleaning contracts in Madinah and not just one as is the current practice. Each company should be assigned a certain number of neighborhoods and held responsible for keeping the neighborhoods clean year round.



“Neighborhoods such as Al-Khalediah do not have garbage containers on streets. People usually throw or leave garbage near their houses and street cleaners collect it. Our neighborhood stinks because of the amount of garbage that has accumulated,” he said.