At least 32 Egyptian fishermen have been barred from leaving the Saudi Arabia for more than six months following a financial dispute with their Saudi “Kafeel”, or employer, Al Akhbar reported Thursday.
During a phone call with the Egyptian Minister of Immigration Nabila Makram, the employer insisted on financial compensation payback from the fishermen in return for the losses incurred as a result of their strike.
The fishermen have staged a sit-in outside the Egyptian embassy in Riyadh after their employer allegedly violated an “oral agreement,” which stated they would receive a percentage of profit and has not provided “suitable housing for them,” according to Makram.
In a Wednesday statement, the minister said she has contacted the employer and the Saudi concerned authorities in an attempt to resolve the problem.
