MADINAH — Saher employees claim motorists constantly abuse and throw stones at them. As such they have called on the authorities to intensify awareness campaigns and educate drivers about the Saher system. They also called for imposing severe penalties on anyone who attacks them, Al-Madinah newspaper said. Just towards the end of Ramadan, two Saher employees were attacked on the Madinah-Riyadh Expressway by three citizens who also threatened them at gunpoint. The citizens stripped the employees of their possessions, cellphones and Saher camera photographs. One Saher employee said each one of his colleagues has a horrible story to tell. He either has been a recent victim of verbal or physical abuse or seen it happen firsthand to another colleague. He was worried the frequency of these attacks would increase and citizens might get more violent if nothing is done about them. There should be severe punishment for anyone who attacks a government official, he said, adding concerned authorities have not taken any measures to protect him and his colleagues. The main problem, he claimed, is that citizens do not consider Saher employees as government officials working for the traffic administration. Rather, they consider them employees who work for a private company. Another Saher employee said he wanted his employer to pay them a “danger” allowance, similar to the one given to Saher camera operators. Another employee who works in the maintenance department said he had been threatened at gunpoint and robbed while at work. He was told when hired that he would not have to go out in the field to work. However, he was then asked to go out and fix problems with Saher cameras. When he did, he and his colleagues were attacked by some citizens. The employee claimed all maintenance workers who have to work in the field deserve to be paid an allowance. He said he and a number of his colleagues were once approached by several citizens who threatened them and robbed them of their possessions. They called police and a report was filed and fingerprints of the attackers lifted off the scene. The Saher employees returned to their department and asked for compensation for the money stolen from them. However, the department told them they did not deserve any compensation or danger allowance. A senior source from the Saher's administration department told Al-Madinah that the maintenance department's workers are not paid any danger allowance because they do not work outside a lot. He also said the top management decides whether they deserve such allowance. As for the money and possessions that were stolen from some of the department's employees, Saher could not be held responsible, the source added. The workers were attacked and threatened while driving in a private car and it was impossible for anyone to recognize them or know that they were Saher employees, the source claimed. It was obvious that the employees were attacked for personal reasons as they were not riding a Saher vehicle. Col. Omar Al-Nazawee, spokesman for Madinah Traffic Administration, said Saher workers should be located where police patrols can see them clearly. They should also report their locations to police as doing so would increase their safety and stop them from being abused, he added.
