In a leaked letter addressed to the company’s director Andreas Papathomas J&P Overseas workers based in Saudi Arabia, including several dozen Cypriots, say that as a result of the company’s failure to fulfil its obligations to its staff, around 6,700 of them have to live under miserable conditions, as they lack funds to even buy food.
Workers have no access to water at the construction sites in the Arab kingdom which in turn affects sanitation, they said. Trash and sewage are also not being collected. On top of that, the company has failed so far to pay for the renewal of work permits and as a result workers risk prison.
The company did not respond to requests for comment.
“Everyone is away today and will be back on Wednesday,” said a woman who answered the phone at the company.
In their letter, the workers said they are being forced to borrow money from their families to pay for their return air tickets and added that the company’s operations are plagued with frequent strikes and resignations. Third country embassies are also recipients of repatriation requests by J&P Overseas staffers.
The workers also complained that their healthcare insurance had expired and that company creditors are visiting the construction sites threatening the staff.
There have been mass resignations so far and even those who have left are not being paid their end of employment dues, workers said.
The parent company, established in 1941 in the form of a partnership between Stelios Joannou and George Paraskevaides, expanded its operations abroad shortly after Cyprus gained independence from the Britain. Since then, it has become involved in a wide range projects including airports, highways, bridges, railways, energy infrastructure, dams and housing.
According to the press reports, the workers blame Papathomas for mismanagement, rejecting claims that the delay in getting paid resulted from the Saudi contractor’s failure to do so, and ask for action to prevent the company from becoming insolvent.
“Taking into account the dire living conditions and present circumstances, we expect you to take a more responsible and proactive attitude and face up to your responsibilities as director of the company” the letter said.
“You have failed to communicate to us any realistic attempts to find solutions to the financial difficulties we are experiencing.”
The workers said they received a letter dated March 17, which was the only attempt that had been made to provide an explanation but was considered ‘inadequate’ under the circumstances.
In January President Nicos Anastasiades visited the company during his visit to Saudi Arabia but little was known about the problems at the time.
Reports suggest the problems may lie in mismanagement from those who have inherited the company and a lack of professionalism.
