‘Not paying workers’ salaries is a crime’

In this photograph taken on September 29, 2016, Indian workers from the eastern state of Bihar gather in a hotel in New Delhi, after they were repatriated by the Indian government from Saudi Arabia. (AFP)

JEDDAH: Nidal Radwan, chairman of the National Committee for Labor (NCL), said some companies in the Kingdom have failed to pay salaries of their employees, which is totally unjust, a stark violation of their rights and an act that harms the reputation of the Kingdom.
“Such practices must be stopped,” he said, reiterating that owners of such firms must realize that workers have rights and that they do not work for free.
Delaying payments is a violation of their rights, of religion, of the law and of all international norms, he said.
He said that laborers who are deprived of their salaries must avoid damaging public and private property.
Radwan said the measures taken by Labor Ministry against employers who refuse to pay their workers’ wages are not enough, and there should be strict punishment, including prison term, shaming and fines after all payments are settled, to deter further such violations.
He said the laborers’ right to receive payments for their work is enshrined in the labor law, and employers should not delay payment of salaries under any circumstance, with the exception of cases when they declare bankruptcy.
He said that employers who do not pay wages have no right to ask employees to work, and workers have the right to resort to all legal procedures in this regard.
Radwan said workers have families and social and financial obligations. They rely on their wages to meet their expenses, reported Alhyat.