Binladin Group workers set fire to company buses after layoffs

Employees at Saudi Binladin Group have reportedly set fire to more than seven company buses in protest over unpaid wages and thousands of layoffs in recent months, according to multiple news agencies. 

Major Nayef al-Sharif, the spokesman for Makkah’s Civil Defense, said that firefighters put out the blaze without injuries reported, the Associated Press reported. Authorities are still investigating the incident.

The attack on the company’s buses comes after local Al-Watan daily reported last week that the construction giant laid off 50,000 workers as pressures on the government arise due to cheap oil prices. The terminated employees have since refused to leave the kingdom until they receive their salaries, the paper said, quoting unnamed sources familiar with the matter. 

The company has not yet issued a statement over the incident or the reported layoffs.

In March, Egyptian, Pakistani, and Indian employees at Jeddah-based Binladin Group claimed they had not been paid their salaries in seven months. The company has had several disputes with workers in recent months over unpaid salaries.

Gulf construction firms, particularly in Saudi Arabia, have faced tough times in recent months as oil prices continue to put a damper on government spending. 

The contractor is said to be in talks with local and regional banks to restructure its debt, MEED reported in February. SBG is also seeking new credit facilities to meet its short-term liabilities.