A GLIMPSE INTO JEDDAH'S FOREIGN WORKER POPULATIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 JEDDAH 000496

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

RIYADH, PLEASE PASS TO DHAHRAN, DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP,
INR/B; USTR FOR PBURKHEAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/24/2031
TAGS: ECON ELAB PHUM PINR SA
SUBJECT: A GLIMPSE INTO JEDDAH'S FOREIGN WORKER POPULATIONS

REF: A. JEDDAH 000100

Classified By: Consul General Tatiana Gfoeller for reason 1.4 (b) and (
d).


1. (C) Summary. In a series of meetings with the labor
offices of Saudi Arabia's major labor source Consulates,
EconOff discussed the issues facing foreign worker
populations and what the representative Consulates General do
to help their citizens. The labor officers all say salary
payment and work environment are major issues for their
citizens but none work with the Saudi government to improve
the situation. They also agree that agitation against
employers is not the best way to resolve problems for workers
because it hurts the labor source country more than it will
improve the work conditions in Saudi Arabia. End Summary.

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INDIA
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2. (C) On July 15 EconOff met Mr. Cyril Tigga, head of the
Community Welfare Section (CWS) at the Indian Consulate.
Tigga said that there are 1.5 million Indians in Saudi
Arabia, half of whom are in Jeddah. Most of the Indians
coming to Saudi Arabia, the majority of whom are male, gain
employment via agencies in India. Tigga estimates that 80
percent are doing semi-skilled and skilled work such as store
clerks and construction while the other 20 percent are
professional workers such as doctors, and office workers.
The few women workers from India generally work as nurses and
housemaids in the Kingdom.


3. (C) Tigga stated that overall the number of Indian workers
coming to Saudi Arabia is decreasing because of Saudization
efforts but he said that the largest problem confronting
Indian workers in Saudi Arabia is getting paid by their
employers. CWS tries to alleviate this problem by doing a
background check on companies to look at their financial
standing, fairness of their contracts, and ensuring that
there is an actual position for the requested worker. If an
Indian has an issue with his employer, his only option is to
go through the Saudi legal system for resolution. CWS
officers often accompany their citizens to court to provide
translation services and give legal advice. The CWS also has
a private fund generated from contributions from the Indian
community to help destitute Indians get basic necessities or
in the case of deportation, leave the country.


4. (C) Tigga feels that given the choice, Indian workers
would not strike or protest against their employers because
they would be immediately deported. Currently striking is
prohibited by the employee's contracts. Tigga said that
despite this environment, the welfare of Indian workers in
Saudi Arabia has improved over time, especially after King
Abdullah's visit to India (reftel A). However, Tigga said
that he has no communication with the Saudi Labor Ministry
about improving the situation of expatriate laborers.

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PAKISTAN
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5. (C) On July 16 EconOff met Mr. Shaukat Ali and Dr. Nawaz
Ahmad, Community Welfare Attaches at the Consulate General of
Pakistan. Ahmad estimates there are about one million
Pakistanis in the Kingdom, mostly in Jeddah due to increased
job opportunities and a better living environment. Most of
the Pakistani workers are unskilled, working as laborers in
the construction sector. Ali said that the Pakistani
government is starting a training program to give Pakistanis
more skills before they work abroad so they will be able to
find better jobs. He also said Saudization has negatively
affected the Pakistani worker population which was decreasing
in the last two years, but this is no longer a concern
because of the rise in economic activity. Both men are
excited about Saudi Arabia's current economic environment and

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said their government hopes to provide more manpower to Saudi
Arabia as more projects come online, especially the
construction of the Economic Cities.


6. (C) Most of the Pakistani workers come to the Kingdom
through employment agencies but some use umra visas to enter
and then search for employment upon arrival. Ali and Ahmad
said that aside from salary payments, general employee
grievances are the largest issue that they handle, primarily
because workers have difficulty adjusting to life as a
foreign worker in Saudi Arabia. They said that they have a
specific issue with workers in the education field because
their work environment is often not what they expected.
(Note: When pressed further on this issue, neither gentleman
would not elaborate. End Note.) To resolve problems with
their employers, Pakistanis also have to use the Saudi court
system. Ali said while this process is lengthy, they are
usually able to positively resolve the problem. Sponsors are
vetted by the CWS in similar manner to the Indians, however
Ali and Ahmad stressed that they put the onus on the
Pakistani national to know what his contract says and to not
break the terms of his agreement.


7. (C) When asked about worker protests occurring across the
Gulf, both men stated that they do not advise their citizens
to strike against their employers because it is not worth it
in the long run. Ali said that strikes by Pakistani workers
would not only end the participants' employment prospects in
the Kingdom and they risk deportation, but it also makes it
difficult for the Pakistani government's relations with the
Kingdom.

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PHILIPPINES
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8. (C) On July 17 EconOff met Mr. Bulyok Nilong, Labor
Attach at the Philippine Consulate. Nilong is a veteran of
Philippine-Gulf labor issues having served previously in
Kuwait and Iraq. He estimates there are 260 to 300 thousand
Filipinos in the Western Region. Most Filipinos are working
semi-skilled and skilled jobs from store clerks to computer
technicians. There is also a large population of Filipino
housemaids who are Nilong's major issue in the Kingdom. He
also is not concerned about the Saudization process because
he feels that skilled Filipinos will always be in demand
because they work harder, are cheaper, and are better trained
than Saudis.


9. (C) Nilong says that citizens who are employed by large
companies generally do not have as many labor grievances
because they have better jobs and are not subject to the
extreme work conditions of unskilled labor. When there is a
labor issue, he generally tries to resolve the matter with
the employer without going through the Saudi legal system.
Nilong stated that the threat of being blacklisted usually
provides an avenue for both parties to reach a compromise.
Filipinos are also protected because most come to the Kingdom
through employment agencies who are also responsible in
Manila for grievances that arise with employers. The
employment agencies can be taken to court in the Philippines
for workers to resolve their problems. This does not happen
very often because the Filipino Labor Ministry now accredits
most of the employment agencies for finding proper sponsors.


10. (C) Housemaids are a different issue because they are
employed by individuals who cannot be checked as thoroughly.
Nilong says that often there are issues of abuse and
non-payment of salary; he gave one example of a maid who over
18 years had only been paid 40 thousand riyals and was not
allowed to leave the home. The woman was eventually rescued
by the Consulate and sent back to the Philippines. Nilong
says that the Consulate General often houses maids who have
run away from their employers. The Philippines in 1990
stopped allowing maids to come to Saudi Arabia because they
were treated so badly but that did not last long because
Manila wanted to keep positive relations with the Kingdom.

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11. (C) Nilong said that he also does not interact with the
Saudi government on labor issues and says that he tries to
avoid the legal system because the process is lengthy, slow,
and is not as successful as working with the employer
directly. Instead of risking deportation, he advises
Filipino workers to work with the Consulate General to
resolve grievances instead of striking or protesting. He
believes this will never happen because foreign laborers are
afraid to strongly agitate on labor issues and do not want to
risk deportation.
Gfoeller