RIYADH, 3 September — The Kingdom’s grand mufti has warned Saudi employers in remarks published yesterday against violating employment contracts with foreign workers.
“Blackmailing and threatening (foreign) laborers with deportation if they refuse the employers’ terms which breach the contract is not allowed” in Islam, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh said in a religious ruling published in Al-Madinah daily.
He also warned employers against refusing to pay the agreed salaries in full or delaying payment under the threat of deportation, saying “this is illegal and a form of dishonesty” in Islam.
Sheikh Abdul Aziz urged businessmen in the Kingdom to refrain from “exploiting and oppressing the weak workers” by violating contracts. “Islam does not permit oppressing workers regardless of religion. As we ask them to perform their duty, we must fulfill our duty and comply with the terms of the contract,” the mufti said.
His remarks followed complaints by many foreign workers that their employers force them to pay expensive fees for residence permit renewal and the work license as well as their health insurance premium in violation of their contracts. There are about seven million foreigners working in Saudi Arabia, which has a total population of 22 million. The Kingdom, like other Gulf Arab countries, applies a sponsorship law which gives national employers the upper hand in dealing with expatriate workers.
Expatriates contacted by Arab News in Riyadh and Jeddah welcomed the remarks made by the grand mufti and expressed hope that employers will heed his instructions.
R. Anderson, a Western expatriate in Riyadh, said that it is not permissible for employers to recruit a foreign worker and then leave him to his way on condition that he pays the former a fixed amount every month. This practice is widespread in all cities and villages here.” This trend, he said, has led to several problems like forcing the worker to adopt illegal methods to earn more money by hook or crook to meet his and his sponsor’s obligations.
Ataullah Khan, an Indian teacher, said there have been many cases where employers have failed to comply with provisions of the contract. Some companies alter the contract once the worker arrives in the Kingdom. The worker is often forced to sign the new contract under pressure. He called for eradicating the evil of contract substitutions.
He applauded the grand mufti’s statement saying that there is an urgent need to impose tighter restrictions on employers who violate job contracts.
Rehan Akhtar, an expatriate living in Jeddah, suggested that the grand mufti’s instructions must be followed by employers in letter and spirit. “Non-payment and delayed payment of salaries reflect badly on the employer and the country at large. Threat of repatriation is a Damocles’ sword hanging over the head of every worker, day in and day out. This fear psychosis must change in order to foster better working relations between the employer and employee. After all, a happy worker is a productive and loyal worker.”
Abdul Rahim said he fully endorsed the grand mufti’s remarks.“It is high time wayward employers were made to follow the Shariah. People from the Subcontinent have already paid large sums of money back home to get jobs in the Kingdom. And they had pinned hopes on the meager wages to recover the amount they have already spent and also sustain their families. It is only fair that they are paid decent wages and on time.”
“It is the lowly paid workers’ contracts that need to be honored more than those of the highly paid. Unless they are looked after well by the employers they are known to resort to crimes in an effort to make ends meet. I am happy the grand mufti spoke against exploiting the less fortunate among us,” said Jaleel-ur-Rahman, another expatriate living in Jeddah. “The fact that the grand mufti had to speak out on the issue goes to prove the gravity of the situation... It was assuming alarming proportions... I hope the grand mufti’s wise counsel will help curb this widespread and dangerous trend among the employers,” he added.
