“The POLO officers will provide the necessary assistance to the complainants,” said an advisory issued by Ambassador-Designate Ezzedin H. Tago.

The advisory was issued in the wake of persistent reports on the termination of Filipino workers’ contracts in the Kingdom.

The reports claim the new Nitaqat system, which aims to improve Saudization levels, was the reason for the recent spate of sackings, the advisory said.

The advisory said the Saudi government had already announced the Nitaqat system would start on Sept. 11 and even then companies which fail to comply with Saudization targets are given grace periods of up to nine months to improve their situation.

The Nitaqat system honors existing work contracts. The sanction for noncomplying companies will be nonrenewal of work permits for foreign workers, not terminations of their contracts.

“This is the reason why work permits of foreign workers in red-coded companies (which are way below their Saudization targets) will not be renewed, and that the work permits of foreign workers in yellow-coded companies will be limited to six years,” the advisory said.

Under the Saudi Labor Law, the employer can terminate the work contract in the following cases: the worker assaults the employer or any of his superiors; the worker fails to perform his essential obligations or obey legitimate orders from his superiors; it is established that the worker committed an act of misconduct or dishonesty; if the worker deliberately commits any act or default with the intent to cause material harm to the employer; if the worker resorts to forgery to obtain his job; if the worker is under a probationary period; if the worker is absent without valid reason; if the worker unlawfully takes advantage of his position for personal gain; and if the worker divulges work-related industrial or commercial secrets of the employer.

Affected workers, the advisory said, are given the chance to refute the grounds for their termination. They can also file complaints with the Saudi Labor Office.