No qualms against women heading labor committee

The founding committee of the National Federation of Laborers in Saudi Arabia has paved the way for the possibility of a Saudi woman to head the organization, which will serve as a union to defend workers’ interests.
Nidal Ridwan, chairman of the federation, said the executive regulations governing the body, which are still pending the approval of the Ministry of Labor, do not forbid women from undertaking leadership positions in the committee.
Radwan said that the committee’s regulations, which were finalized recently by the founding team, do not impede women from assuming leadership roles within the organization, as they are implicated by the labor market decisions and constitute an important component in the workforce.
He said that the federation is concerned with the status of workers, regardless of their gender and nationality, as “All workers in Saudi Arabia contribute to the development of the country, regardless of the nature of their work.”
Radwan acknowledged that the presence of women in labor committees in the private sector is modest, due to the small number of women compared to their male counterparts. He added, “Women, however, serve on the boards of some private sector businesses and these bodies are elected by the workers.”
The chairman pointed out that the Ministry of Labor has still not approved the federation, despite the completion of the necessary regulations.
He also indicated that the Federation has prepared a study to determine the minimum wage for Saudis working in the private sector.
Accordingly, he revealed that the minimum remuneration of those working in private sector jobs, which do not require educational degrees, such as security guard positions, does not meet the provision of the six requirements identified in the study, namely housing, clothing, food, transportation, education and medical insurance.
The study concluded that SR 5,837 is the appropriate and desired minimum wage for employees.