Construction giant Saudi Binladin Group has reportedly laid off 50,000 foreign workers, amid heavy government spending cuts and a row over alleged unpaid salaries.

Up to a quarter of the builder’s 200,000-strong workforce has been cut, the Saudi newspaper al-Watan reported, citing unnamed sources.

Workers were issued permanent exit visas to leave the kingdom, but many have refused to leave because they have not been paid for months, the newspaper reported.

Reports detail worker sit-ins at Saudi Binladin offices in Jeddah, while seven buses were set ablaze in Mecca by angry expatriate workers, according to Gulf News.

Reuters reported in November that the Saudi contracting giant planned to cut 15,000 jobs, with some set to be laid off at the time, while others would be transferred to work temporarily on a multi-billion dollar airport project in Jeddah. 

Saudi Binladin Group did not respond to a request for comment made by staging.bigprojectme.com/.