India: Saudi Arabia returnees reportedly not receiving severance pay following COVID-19 job losses, despite labour law provision
Summary
Date Reported: 10 Oct 2020
Location: Saudi Arabia
Other
Not Reported ( Construction ) - EmployerAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( 1 - India , Construction , Gender not reported )Issues
Wage TheftResponse
Response sought: No
Action taken: None reported.
Source type: News outlet
Summary
Date Reported: 10 Oct 2020
Location: Saudi Arabia
Companies
Nasser S. Al-Hajri Corporation (NSH) - EmployerAffected
Total individuals affected: 286
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( 286 - India , Construction , Gender not reported )Issues
Restricted mobility , Withholding Passports , Dismissal , Wage Theft , Freedom of MovementResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Journalist
Action taken: 286 workers filed labour complaints against the company and several who lost their jobs and did not receive severance pay began contacting Lawyers Beyond Borders to highlight their case. By February 2021, LBB had registered 660 complaints. Reuters reported that a collective case filed with the Indian government by the workers is "believed to be the biggest collective case of its kind". The company issued a statement to The News Minute, denying that they terminated people indiscriminately and maintained that all salaries and other benefits were paid as per law.
Source type: News outlet
"Saudi returnees stake claim to severance pay," 10 Oct 2020
Jayadev (name changed) had 25 years of experience behind him when the construction company he was working for in Saudi Arabia laid him off following the COVID-19 pandemic... he had hoped that the end-of-service benefits, as per the Saudi labour laws, would be a substantial amount, enabling him to rebuild life back home...
there is no sign of the severance pay coming in...
The issue of repatriated workers not getting benefits came to light when Lawyers Beyond Borders (LBB), an international network of legal experts working for the rights of migrant workers, filed a writ petition in the Kerala High Court earlier this year. Several workers who had lost their jobs and did not get severance pay began contacting the LBB.
Among the complaints, quite a few were from the employees of Nasser S. Al-Hajri Corporation (NSH). A total of 286 workers from here sent in complaints.