Saudi TV: Cleaning workers’ low pay fuels begging
Worker paid SR510 on average turn to begging for extra income
Cairo: Cleaning workers’ low pay prompts some of them to beg for money on the streets and at traffic lights to supplement their incomes, according to a Saudi state TV.
A report on Al Ekhbariya TV has said that the cleaning worker is paid SR510 on average.
The figure was based on a survey conducted on 58 cleaning workers in eight Saudi cities. According to the findings, the highest wages for cleaning workers are in the eastern province of Al Ahas, reaching SR750 per month while the lowest pay is in Riyadh and Hafr Al Batin standing at SR350.
Those workers’ paltry wages prompt them to seek an extra income with begging being the main practice, according to the report.
Migrant workers featured in the report said most of their wages are spent on food.
In the run-up to the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which ended earlier in May, Saudi authorities mounted a large-scale campaign against beggars. Beggars usually take advantage of characteristic benevolence in Ramadan for the illegal practice.
According to Saudi law, begging is punishable by a maximum of one year in prison or fines of up to SR100,000 or both penalties. Foreign offenders face deportation after serving the term in Saudi Arabia and are barred from re-entry.