Thousands of jobless labourers left stranded in Saudi Arabia

Thousands of jobless Indians, Filipinos and Pakistanis are stranded and destitute in Saudi Arabia after a plunge in oil prices sparked construction layoffs, activists and officials said on Tuesday.

Some Filipinos are forced to beg or sift through garbage to survive after going unpaid for months, said Garry Martinez, chairman of the Migrante group.

The group works for the millions of Filipino overseas workers worldwide, and believe tumbling oil prices and lay offs have forced manual labourers to live undignified and desperate lives in the Gulf kingdom.

"Some of them have nothing to eat and have to go through the garbage for food," said Martinez.

Earlier in the week, India said it was negotiating with Saudi authorities to repatriate thousands of its own nationals after they lost their jobs, leaving them with no money to return home.

Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj told parliament in New Delhi she was sending two junior ministers to Riyadh after reports that around 10,000 Indian workers had been left to starve.

Indians are among millions of poor Asians working in Gulf states, where human rights groups say many suffer exploitation and abuses including non-payment of wages.

In Manila, Migrante coordinator Gilbert Saludo - who returned from Saudi Arabia last month after two years working there - said as many as 20,000 Filipinos could be affected.

Saludo said that while Manila had extended financial aid to them so far, it was not clear how long this aid could last. The labour problem appeared likely to worsen, he added.

"It will get much worse because so much of the income of Saudi Arabia comes from oil... so their budget for infrastructure and other projects will not be met and more people will be affected," Saludo told AFP.

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The Philippine Labor Department said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello had visited Saudi Arabia last month to address the problem but would not elaborate.

Pakistan confirmed its nationals were also stranded in Saudi Arabia but gave no number but have set up a special centre and fund to provide aid, food, medicine and shelter.

"The [Pakistani] embassy has further informed that Saudi king has issued a decree for urgent payment of dues to workers by the concerned," the office of the prime minister said.

"We stand by our hardworking workers who are away from their homeland to earn a living for their families. They are our strength and pride. We will help them out in all possible ways," Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said in a statement.

The Indian consulate in Jeddah has been providing free food for its nationals since their plight came to light last week but repatriation has been complicated by restrictive labour regulations.

Swaraj cited a Saudi requirement that workers provide a no-objection certificate from their employers before they can leave the country.

In Manila, the Migrante officials also said Filipinos could not leave because they lacked proper permits or were still awaiting months of back pay.

Nearly 3 million Indians live and work in Saudi Arabia, according to the foreign ministry, one of the largest populations outside of India.