I am quite certain that every one of us has seen a street cleaner begging for money. It is a common scenario: a Saudi is on his way to his car, a street cleaner approaches him and says “Salaam”, he then proceeds to diligently clean the area in front of the man's home, and out of pity the man gives him some money.
I do not blame cleaners or members of the public. Cleaning companies that employ these men should be held responsible; they should pay these people on time each month.
Most street cleaners carry copies of their pay slips showing that their actual salaries are SR400 minus SR80 for insurance. Anyone who is shown the slip feels obliged to give the cleaner some money. The Ministry of Labor and city municipalities should ensure that all cleaners are paid their monthly salaries on time. In fact, it would be better if the money were transferred into a bank account.
What is really painful is that street cleaners are no longer doing their work as they end up spending large amounts of time begging. Some of them busy themselves collecting empty cans, which they then sell for recycling while others sleep in the shade of trees. What is really bizarre is that many street cleaners can be seen near traffic signals where they pretend to clean when in fact they are simply begging. They do this because they are not being supervised. Cleaning companies should employ Saudis to supervise the work that these street cleaners do instead of appointing expatriate supervisors who often turn a blind eye.
For more control, local residents should be provided with the contact numbers of supervisors whom they could call if they notice that the streets are not clean. I also think the location of street cleaners should be changed every so often. Hardworking cleaners should be rewarded while those who are negligent should be made to work hard. This is the only way to solve the problem. After all, large sums of money are spent on trying to keep our streets clean.
Giving money to cleaners distracts them from work. The companies that employ these cleaners tend to deliberately delay paying salaries on time.
The proof for this is the fact that most cleaners do not complain about the delay in salaries as long as they get enough money from members of the public in addition to the food and clothes they receive. There is no harm in giving cleaners good food and clothes. This is recommended. We should not give them money to ensure they do not become beggars.
