RIYADH, 22 March 2007 — A gathering of Saudi businesswomen has appealed to the Labor Ministry to remove the obstacles that hamper them to be progressive.
In the Second Cultural Meeting for Businesswomen organized by the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) that was held at the Riyadh InterContinental Hotel yesterday, more than 200 businesswomen, representing all business sectors, lamented the ministry’s indifference to their plight.
“The Labor Ministry puts obstacles in our way to participate in progress and development, rather than solving the problems. The best solution is to meet with the labor minister and discuss our problems face to face,” Samya Al-Shulail said.
She added that meeting the minister in person, rather than a Labor Ministry representative, was the only effective solution.
The participants expressed their disappointment at Labor Ministry laws, claiming that the said laws favor foreign workers over Saudis and expressed hope that the situation would change in the near future.
Haya Al-Shihri said, a Saudi businesswoman in the car exporting business, said “Saudi women are very talented and an asset to the Saudi economy. The Labor Ministry must open doors for them and give them more training to enter the job market. I am glad that Saudi businesswomen are speaking their minds and talk openly about the problems facing them in the job market.”
She further said that “our voice must be heard,” noting the high unemployment rate among female graduates.
Zaina Abu Hassan, a lawyer, delivered a seminar entitled “Knowing the Labor System is Protection for Yourself and Your Company.” The issue of workers escaping from their employers and issues relating to beauty salons were the main topics of discussion in the meeting.
Awatif Al-Miqbil, an academic at King Saud University’s Business College in Riyadh, urged Saudi businesswomen to diversify their investment to other lines of businesses instead of concentrating on beauty salons.