RIYADH, 7 October — Juan Somavia, director general of the International Labor Organization (ILO), arrived here last night on a two-day visit to the Kingdom for talks on cooperation in the field of labor, social insurance and vocational and technical training.
The ILO chief and his delegation were received at the King Khaled International Airport by Minister of Labor Dr. Ali Al-Namlah, senior government officials and Jose Eguren, United Nations resident representative in Riyadh.
In an arrival statement, Somavia said his visit was to strengthen friendship and cooperation between the two sides in matters relating to workers’ welfare and legislative measures in that regard.
“We will seek to work together on issues that are of interest to the government and the ILO and to place the expertise of the ILO at the disposal of the government in areas defined by their policies and priorities.”
Asked if he would discuss any specific labor problems in the Kingdom, Somavia said his talks would center on labor-related “issues within organizations and companies as well as those concerning migration.” He was alluding to the question of labor unions, to whose formation the Saudi government has agreed in principle.
He said his mission was not to judge a country but to work in partnership with it.
Specifically, he would like to see in place setting up of committees to look after the recreational needs of the workers.
