Over 500 stranded workers in Saudi Arabia criticize embassy for inaction

KATHMANDU: Narendra Raj BK from Godavari, Lalitpur, who had been working for Sendan International Company in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, has been left stranded after the company went bankrupt about a year ago.

According to BK, 469 Nepali workers, including himself, lost their jobs after the company shut down. “For the past eight months, we’ve been surviving on just one meal a day, and up to 15 people are crammed into a single room,” BK said. Despite repeatedly appealing to the Embassy of Nepal in Riyadh, he claims their plight has been largely ignored.

The stranded workers are demanding either the payment of their pending wages or new employment opportunities. “Many of us are being treated like hostages. The company threatens us, saying we have no valid company ID cards,” BK added.

More than 500 workers in eastern Jubail have reportedly gone without salaries for the past 14 months. They allege the embassy has failed to effectively engage with either the company or Saudi Arabia’s labor authorities.

A Nepali embassy official in Riyadh acknowledged the situation. Kaviraj Upreti, Counselor at the Embassy of Nepal in Riyadh, said efforts are ongoing to repatriate the affected workers. “We are working to obtain exit permits from the Saudi government to facilitate their return,” he said.

Upreti noted that the bankruptcy of several Saudi companies has left many Nepali workers stranded. “The lack of exit permits is delaying our rescue efforts. We are coordinating with Saudi authorities to address issues related to unpaid wages, exit permits, and repatriation for over 500 stranded workers in eastern Jubail,” he said, estimating the process could take at least a month.

Sendan International officially ceased operations on December 24 last year. Subas Kshetry from Morang, another former employee, said even workers with 16 years of service have been jobless for over a year.

Kshetry added that the stranded workers, currently living in company shelters, are surviving with the help of financial aid from fellow Nepali and Indian workers in Saudi Arabia. “No embassy staff have visited us to assess the situation. The recruitment agencies that sent us here are not answering our calls,” he said.