RIYADH, 5 March 2007 — Specialists in recruitment have expressed worries over the way women are hired and then fired, especially those who have recently entered the labor market. Experts say some private companies hire them on trial basis and then fire them at will.
Some companies do not even give women any salaries or financial rewards for work during the trial period. This is of benefit to the company in that the work is done for minimal payment if not without any payment at all. The trick is that companies will continue to hire new workers for trial periods and end up losing nothing.
Muna Al-Khamees of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry told Al-Eqtisadiah newspaper that women should be aware of their rights as workers. This is important, she said, in order to save them from falling into such traps.
Muna said that some companies recruit women for three or more months with no salary, claiming that this is a trial period. “They (companies) tend to recruit women during conferences and particular events. However, as soon as the event is over, they terminate the workers, telling them that they are not qualified or that the company simply does not need them.”
She said that the aim of the trial period was for the employee to get to know the company and, at the same time, a chance for the company to test the employee’s abilities and qualifications of the employee. “The trial period should not be misused,” she said.
Lama Tashkandi from the Career and Development Office at Effat College said: “It is unfair to recruit girls for three months and give them nothing in return. If the girl is not in need financially, it would be better to work in a well known company rather than a small company or one that is not widely known.”
Lama urged the need for “awareness campaigns” in order to inform women employers about the possible deceptions. She added that such experiences might cause girls to become depressed and fear applying for another job.
Nouf Al-Zahrani, a specialist in the work environment, said: “In a healthy environment, there is no need to wait for three months to recruit an employee. There is no excuse for hiring women for trial periods without giving them salaries or rewards.”
Muhammad Al-Darweesh, a legal consultant at the Ministry of Labor, said that the trial period must not exceed three months, adding that any company which violates that rule would be fined. “If the legal trial period passes, then the employee has become an official employee even if they have not been given contract,” explained Al-Darweesh. He added that the only way that the company can extend the trial period is if it changes the job or jobs assigned to the employee.
Hanan Sabri, another lawyer, said that according to Article 5 of the Labor Law, any worker who works in a job for a company’s interest must receive a wage. During the trial period, the employee normally receives a wage less than the salary. The law also states that the trial period, including breaks, vacations and sick leaves, must not exceed 90 days. During this period, either party may cancel the contract. Hanan said that if an employee completes a trial period without receiving compensation, she should complain to the Labor Office.
Reem Al-Bar said that she applied for a job advertised in a local newspaper. She was hired and was told that she had begun a trial period lasting three months. At the end of the three months, the company told her they no longer needed her. She said: “This system gives companies the chance to take advantage of employees for three months. Then they recruit another employee and so on. At the end, they get the job done without spending any money.”
Amani Al-Khathila urges girls to be critical and precise when applying for jobs, especially when companies are taking them first for a trial period. “I got a job in a center and they took me for a three-month trial period. The money they paid was almost nothing and they asked me to take on other tasks but I decided to leave them because I am getting nothing in return for my time and effort.”
