40 Bangladeshis suffering in KSA without jobs

At least 40 Bangladeshi workers have been languishing in a labourers' accommodation facility in Saudi Arabia due to joblessness since their arrival in the Kingdom nearly four months back.
The Saudi firm, which was supposed to employ them in the service sector, is neither paying them nor giving them enough food after they refused to work in road construction, the migrants told The Daily Star by phone from Riyadh yesterday.
Asif Iqbal, a victim, said the Bangladeshi agent promised them jobs in offices, mosques and madrasas, but they were forced to work for building roads, which they declined to do.
“Most of the 40 of us have various skills. I have skills in computer hardware, welding and driving. I can't work in road construction projects.”
Asif, a resident of Manikganj, said the firm was now talking about sending them home if they did not work in road construction. “This is a total injustice. Please help us get out of it."
He said they migrated to Saudi Arabia through the recruiting agency Mascot International Ltd, paying it Tk 6 lakh to Tk 7.5 lakh each to work at a monthly salary of around Tk 21,000, and returning home penniless would be suicidal for them.
“We've contacted Mascot International to address our problem, but it is asking us to wait for some more days. How long could we suffer this way?” he wondered. Asif said they were confined to the labour accommodation whenever they declined to work in road construction.
Managing Director of Mascot International Mominul Haque Bhuiyan admitted the workers' condition, but said he did not get the work visas for these migrants.
A Bangladeshi named Hasan got those job visas, and he only helped the workers complete their immigration process. He, however, said he was trying to contact Hasan in Saudi Arabia.
In an email message, Dr Emdadul Haque, labour minister at Bangladesh embassy in Riyadh, said he had asked the officials to look into the matter urgently.