Soon after the Saudi Binladin (SBL) group laid off 50,000 foreign workers from its offices in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, videos purportedly of sacked workers narrating dire circumstances and appealing for help began floating on social media.
Claiming that there were protests against the company in Mecca, media reported that many of the workers were from Telangana and Hyderabad and claimed that SBL had not cleared their dues.
The local leaders said “We have contacted their families. The issue is that the NRI cell needs to be proactive. These migrants contribute to the growth of the country by remitting large amounts in the form of foreign remittances. Both the state and Centre should make plans for reintegration and resettlement of people who return from the Gulf.“
Meanwhile, the Telangana government took stock of the situation and urged External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to help migrants from the state, who were allegedly removed from their jobs by the construction company.
“The company has removed nearly 50,000 employees in the last three months,” Telangana Industries and NRI Affairs Minister K T Rama Rao said in a letter to Swaraj.The visas of the removed employees are also being cancelled, he said.
“They are now jobless and not having any sources of livelihood and are not in a position to come back to India as well, as they became illegal migrants without visa. They are approaching the said company, but the company authorities are not responding properly,” Rama Rao said.
The family members of said Telangana migrants are worried about their safety and security, he said.”Hence, I humbly request you, to kindly intervene in the situation with regard to Telangana labourers working in the company in Saudi Arabia to settle all the problems which are being faced by them,” Rama Rao added.
