A committee is working out regulatory and legal frameworks for the formation of a Saudi workers' union, said Head of the Founding Committee of the national commission for Saudi workers Nidal bin Muhammed Rudwan.
Rudwan, speaking at a lecture organized by the Eastern Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Saturday, said the committee was working to prepare premises for a workers union in Riyadh and a website.
As soon as regulatory and legal frameworks are completed, elections will be organized to select members in their respective firms, which have so far reached 26 committees in different companies, he said. He said sector-based unions would be formed.
Each sector would have its own union, such as telecommunications, press, and petroleum so the Central Union could address sector unions easily and smoothly.
Rudwan said the formation of committees within any firm needed no approval from the employer, but his knowledge about the committee would enhance chances of his coordinating with the body.
Some employers are reluctantly responding to the demands of workers on issues such as salary increases. If employers would carefully think these things over, they would discover that accepting certain demands might produce more benefits that positively reflect on the firm’s stability, loyalty, and productivity, Rudwan pointed out. He said a number of obstacles might limit work of the committees, mainly the historical view that workers unions cause problems with employers.
Legalities for workers’ union being drafted
