RIYADH, 5 October 2006 — Recruitment agencies with a proven track record alone will be allowed to bring in overseas manpower under a new policy announced here on Tuesday.
At a press conference attended by Saad N. Al-Baddah, chairman, Saudi Arabian National Recruitment Committee (SANACOM) and other members, it was explained that the new policy is intended to streamline the recruitment procedure and stop the phenomenon of runaway workers and housemaids.
Waleed A. Al-Swaidan, co-chairman of Saudi Philippine Business Council, was also present at the press briefing.
It was also announced that some 5,000 skilled Vietnamese workers and housemaids will be allowed into the Kingdom every month, while there will be direct manpower recruitment from Nepal after Eid Al-Fitr. Hitherto, Nepalese workers were recruited through India.
In another statement signifying a policy shift, Al-Baddah said workers would also be recruited from Ethiopia and Kenya.
He said that only bona fide recruitment agencies from the Kingdom and abroad would be authorized to supply manpower. If there is a complaint against an agency, they will be barred from future recruitment.
Agencies that have been blacklisted will be prevented from doing any business in future.
A labor committee has been set up to receive complaints or suggestions. Follow-up action will be taken only in cases where the complaints have been supported by documentary evidence.
Regarding the salary structure, Al-Baddah said it would be SR800 per month for a driver and SR600 per month for a housemaid. It may go up to SR2,000 in the case of technicians and other skilled categories.
A SANACOM member told Arab News that during the recent visit of Indian Minister for Human Resource Development Arjun Singh, the committee put forward its proposal for recruitment of housemaids from that country. While the minister agreed in principle, there has been no follow-up action.
As for manpower recruitment from Vietnam, it is in line with an agreement signed between SANACOM and the minister of labor from Vietnam.
The two countries are expected to establish diplomatic relations soon. In the meantime, a high-level labor committee from Vietnam will visit the Kingdom periodically to receive complaints, if any, and act on suggestions.
Asked about the language barriers and the level of technical skills of Vietnamese workers, Al-Baddah said the Vietnamese government has already set up a training program for its workers. They are also learning Arabic to improve their communication skills.
