Al-Madinah

Some 120 security guards at the Al-Noor specialist Hospital in Makkah tried to meet with the management of their operating company to discuss their late salaries. These security guards were not paid for two months, which is something that happens occasionally. However, they were not able to meet with the company’s officials because they ran out the back door of the building. The workers had no choice but to contact the authorities who came and summoned a representative from the labor office. The representative managed to contain the problem and fix it with the management.

This is something that happens with companies in the private sector. These companies sign contracts worth millions of riyals to guard large companies, banks and hospitals. But these companies do not care about their employees who work in the field under tough conditions, in the heat and cold and for long hours.

Their salaries are not more than SR2,000 a month and they do not have incentives and other allowances. They also do not receive insurance coverage.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Development remains silent about this problem and is doing little to improve the conditions under which these employees are working. These workers do not have a clear and fair salary scale, and their salary should be at least SR5,000 a month with a guarantee that it will be deposited in their bank account by the end of the month. It should also include incentives and allowances.

We should punish companies that delay the salaries of their employees without a justifiable reason. The company should be forced to pay compensation. We should also defame these companies. This is the best punishment for them.

Twitter: @aaljamili