MoL issues one last call

The Ministry of Labor (MoL) has again called on organizations and foreigners who are in violation of labor and residency laws to make the best use of the remaining days until the deadline.
Abdullah Abu Ithnain, deputy minister of labor for inspection and development of work environment, told Arab News that any expat who is found to be in violation of the law will be penalized according to regulations.
“We will not tolerate violators. Expats have been given six full months, which is more than enough time for them to normalize their status. Any violator after the deadline will be jailed and/or fined and violating expats will be deported,” he said.
He also said that the ministry has been coordinating with the Ministry of Interior and governorates in the various provinces.
“There will be many mechanisms for inspection. The Ministry of Labor is the government agency in charge of the inspection campaigns. Violators will then be referred to the Ministry of Interior for further action,” he added.
He said that there are various types of violations. “We have complete checklists. We will pursue organizations that either allow their workers to work for third parties, or those who allow workers to be self-employed. We will also check cases of false Saudization and we will check if men are still working in women's stores. We will also check various sectors, such as construction, maintenance, operations, wholesale and retail, hospitality and catering, commercial and industrial,” he said.
“We have repeatedly said the ministry's portal, mol.gov.sa, can be used by the various organizations to complete requirements or applications. In addition, we have tripled the number of staff working at service centers to address queries during the grace period,” he said.
Police and security agencies have drawn up a plan to arrest violators of residency rules after the expiry of the grace period, which will begin in a week’s time.
A meeting was held among senior police department members in Jeddah, Makkah and Taif. Participants said they would provide all that is required for inspection units to carry out their duties. They discussed the plans and facilities available, as well as coordination plans among the parties.
They also discussed how to take minutes and complete paperwork for apprehended individuals and said there are special forms for this purpose.