Photo credit: Human Rights Watch
Hundreds of migrant workers employed in Saudi Arabia by the manufacturing and supply company Sendan International did not receive their salaries for up to eight months/
Human Rights Watch reports that they include workers employed in the state-owned oil company Aramco project sites.
Migrant workers were often stranded without pay for months, forced into undocumented status, or left with no choice but to return home at their own expense, abandoning outstanding wages and benefits. These abuses have occurred as Saudi Arabia is undergoing a massive construction boom, including building 11 new and refurbished stadiums ahead of FIFA’s 2034 World Cup. Aramco is a “major worldwide partner” of FIFA and sponsors other global sports bodies.
Between June and August 2025, Human Rights Watch spoke with 14 migrant workers of Sendan International. At least eight had worked on Aramco project sites. Workers said they had stopped working in March after being unpaid for up to eight months.
Media reports indicate that Sendan International may have ceased operations in December 2024. Workers Human Rights Watch interviewed said they continued working until March 2025. Sendan did not respond to a Human Rights Watch letter requesting confirmation. If Sendan International has ceased operations, Aramco has a responsibility to utilise its leverage to ensure that workers employed on its sites receive their wages. Aramco, too, did not respond to a request for comment.
However, Saudi Arabia’s Human Resources and Social Development Ministry responded by acknowledging this case of unpaid wages. The ministry detailed government wage protection measures and stated that “non-compliance of Sendan International Company was detected through the Wage Protection System, and corrective action was taken in coordination with the company, the affected workers, and their embassies.”
Although the ministry said “affected workers were provided with guidance and access to dedicated mechanisms for recovering their dues, and the ministry continues to monitor the situation until all claims are resolved,” it did not provide answers to follow-up questions regarding how many workers were impacted by unpaid wages and the number of claims submitted or resolved.
Wage theft against migrant workers remains one of the most widespread abuses in Saudi Arabia, as documented by Human Rights Watch and in an outstanding forced labour complaint to the International Labour Organization (ILO) against Saudi Arabia by the 12 million-member-strong Building and Wood Workers’ International Union (BWI). Victims are rarely compensated for their legally owed wages and, even when they are, it can take years to receive them.
