Expatriate taxi drivers with expired iqamas and driving licenses went on strike yesterday and approached the Labor Office in Jeddah to seek justice.
Approximately 110 taxi drivers from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh had been working with a limousine company, some of them for more than 10 years. Three years ago, they discovered that their employer had sold all the cars and made new pledges to another employer in the Kilo 10 district without their consent.
Since then, these drivers have been requesting that the new employer transfer their sponsorship and renew their iqamas and driving licenses.
However, according to Javed Gul, a taxi driver from Pakistan, the new employer was unresponsive to their request. Instead, he asked them to secure their own release in case of traffic violations. Gul’s iqama expired four years ago.
Some 50 drivers approached the Labor Ministry yesterday to lodge their complaint.
Cabbie Waliur Rahman said Labor Ministry officials have assured them that they would facilitate their transfer without the consent of the current employer if they find a new employer.
One Bangladeshi driver said the limousine company charges them SR 140 every day despite the fact that they did not have an iqama, which is against the law.
Pakistani driver Mohammed Sarhab has expressed gratitude to Labor Ministry officials for solving the problem promptly. He also said that they are quitting their current job and will look for a new employer.
After visiting the Labor Ministry office, the drivers went to the new employer’s office. He told them to wait a couple of weeks for a transfer of sponsorship, but they parked their taxis in front of his office and returned home.
Striking cabbies demand change in sponsorship
