RIYADH -- Over 100 Asian workers of a local catering and maintenance company have been left stranded in Riyadh for several months while they await repatriation to home countries.The workers -- who are mainly from the Philippines, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan -- said they have not been paid their salaries for several months by their employer, Al-Omrania & Al-Wagaiya Catering and Maintenance Company. Some also allege they have been held hostage against their will. “The workers, who are now on the verge of starvation, have been living in cramped accommodation without electricity and water for several days,” said Kunju Mohammed, one of the workers. Some of the workers added that their company has been withholding their passports and Iqamas. They called on their respective embassies to help them. The workers have been employed at the company from five to 15 years, and include skilled and unskilled workers. R. Muraleedharan, convener of the Federation of Kerala Associations in Saudi Arabia, said, “Power and water supply have not been restored to the labor camp, which is in the far-flung Azizia district of Riyadh. This is because the company has not paid the bills.” Muraleedharan added, “Some of them approached the Labor Court and obtained favorable orders. But the company is not even complying with the court’s instructions.” In an effort to obtain more information, Arab News tried to contact Ali Abdulaziz Al-Omrani, a top official at the company, but he did not pick up the phone. This reporter then contacted Ashraf Jendi, an Egyptian manager at the company, who said he had left the company and was not in a position to speak about the issue. M. Ghazanfar Ali Khan | 
