When a contract Means Nothing!
I find this reprehensible. However, what relly cheeses me off is the comment from the HR lackey of the company who justifies their actions by saying that they can't let him go until they find someone to fill his position :O(
A Pakistani biomedical technician has taken his employer to court demanding that he be allowed to return to his country to tend to his ailing mother after fulfilling his contract.
Muhammed Taha Riaz, 26, who works for a medical company in Al-Qassim, filed the case three and a half months ago after his employer refused to provide him with an exit visa, forcing him to continue working past the terms of his contract on an expired iqama (residence permit), which has since been taken from him.
Arab News first learned of this case from an e-mail Riaz sent to us pleading for help.
Riaz said in the message: “I signed a contract with Al-Ewan company at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for a period of three years on March 18, 2009. My contract finished on March 18, 2012.
“As per the terms of the contract I advised my employer 60 days prior to its expiration that I wanted to return to Pakistan when the contract expired.
“Again a reminder was sent to them on April 3 expressing my desire to end my contract and leave for my country.”
According to Riaz, March 18 came and went and nothing happened.
“I approached the company manager on several occasions regarding my contract expiry and my travel plans back to my country.
“However he kept on evading me and asked me to come after two weeks and so on.
“Until now it has been three months since my contract has expired and I am in this foreign land and forced to work much against my will and he is threatening me that if I do not report to work, he will hand me over to the police.
Arab News spoke with Al-Ewan’s human resources manager Turki Al-Enzi, who said: “I am aware of the case and that his contract has been fulfilled.
“But, we have a contract with the Ministry of Health that will be renewed soon, but it has not yet been. Once the contract is renewed we will be provided visas that will allow us to bring someone to replace Riaz.
“These are medical services we are providing for real people, services they need for their well-being. We cannot just let him go and not provide these services.”
Al-Enzi said that a replacement for Riaz has been found and that he will be allowed to return to Pakistan in two months.
Who's at fault? The govt for allowing these atrocities, then everyone else.
His boss is an A-Hole. The cause of all his misery. How is he going to over come him ?
Yeah let's pray for him, that will get him his exit permit.
if he takes courage he could over come his boss.but i think he's a bit afraid. lets pray for him.
A Familiar theme in many of the small privatefirms here as well.
No surprise on reading this article.
What choice are you referring to happygolucky ? I do not have a problem discussing the plight of anyone from anywhere around the world on Qatarliving, I am just pointing out that some members took exception when someone was discussing unpleasant happenings in UK on the pretext that we are not living in the UK, I hope the same members take exception to this unpleasant case also, considering that we are not living in Saudi.
The labour department should intervene and give this guy his dues and send him home. Then, they shoul fine the company heavily.
samix.... Choice is ours...if some heartless person pulls out that analogy I would prefer to ignore him rather than walk with him.
I guess because the same thing happens in Qatar but you can't post that because the slave owner, er I mean employers will threaten the owners.
I hope that this guy gets his release from his monstrous employers.
On the other hand I do not why we are discussing a Saudi case in Qatar living, considering that I remember quite well that not long ago someone had posted a thread on the life of an average Brit in the UK on Qatar living and there was a uproar by some members as to how inappropriate the thread was because we are living in Qatar and not the UK.
Atleast now, when it is out in the open someone from the ministry if not from the company should immediately intervene and put him on the plane this evening. Just reading it I feel suffocated of not only having to live out of my will, contract but also with the threat of landing in the hands of police. Hopefully the embassy or whatever is there also intervene on top priority. All my good wishes to this person, truly from my heart.
Due to sponsorship rules,
Why, do you think it does not happen here as well?
“These are medical services we are providing for real people, services they need for their well-being. We cannot just let him go and not provide these services.” On the other hand Muhammed Taha Riaz, 26, is not a real person. He is an android bot manufactured in Japan. We will keep him until the end of his useful life and ship him to Pakistan for recycling. - said the HR lackey.
He doesn't like it here and he still can't go home! The HR manager is one cunning fox. "“These are medical services we are providing for real people, services they need for their well-being. We cannot just let him go and not provide these services.” Some excuse that!!
Well I guess there will be a lot of people on here who will say its their country, their rules and if he doesn't like it he should go home..... errrr...ooohh, that's not possible in this case. So what to do as an expat?!??!?!
I agree. The smarmy HR Manager should be arrested and given a prison sentence to see how he likes it.
I had the 'ability' I should have dropped that person home today itself...
That is a shocking example of modern day slavery. Unbelieveable that in any country an employer can get away with holding someone against their will. They should be prosecuted for kidnapping.
"the tail is wagging the dog''