JEDDAH, 1 February 2007 — Expatriate workers in the Kingdom have expressed delight over the new measures taken by the Labor Ministry to protect their rights and wanted tougher action by the government against employers who violate workers’ rights. They said such labor-friendly measures would further enhance Saudi Arabia’s international image.
Labor Minister Ghazi Al-Gosaibi has taken two important decisions in order to safeguard the rights of about seven million expatriates working in the Kingdom. According to the first decision, any company or institution that delays payment of salaries of its employees for two consecutive months will be banned from recruitment for a year.
The second decision, according to the Saudi Press Agency, allows expatriate workers to transfer sponsorship to another company or employer if their company delays payment of their salaries for three months consecutively. “In this situation, a worker can approach the labor office to get his sponsorship transferred to another employer without waiting for a year,” the ministry said. Under the current law, a worker cannot transfer his sponsorship until he or she has completed one year under the original sponsor.
The ministry insisted that the former employer should pay all the dues of the worker. “While transferring sponsorship, the worker or his new employer shall not pay any compensation to the former employer and the defaulter will not be compensated by providing another worker,” the decision said, adding that it would come into effect within four months.
“This is a very humane and long-overdue decision,” said Edward Flood, an American teacher who has been working in the Kingdom for more than 20 years. “This decision should have been taken long ago. What remains to be seen is how — or if — the ministry will implement its decision and what actions will be taken against offenders. Being an Islamic country, Saudi Arabia should not at all allow such a practice that is totally un-Islamic.”
“This is a welcome development for Filipino workers in the Kingdom. It means the rights of our workers will be well protected,” said Philippine Consul General Pendosina Lomondot in Jeddah. He noted that the delay or nonpayment of salaries is one of the major complaints of Overseas Filipino Workers in Saudi Arabia. Due to the large number of Filipino workers who have labor disputes with their employers, the Philippines has set up four labor offices in the Kingdom.
Philippine Ambassador Antonio P. Villamor welcomed the Kingdom’s new labor law regulations requiring Saudi sponsors to give the salaries of their domestic helpers on time. They won’t be allowed to hire maids any more if they don’t comply with the regulation and withhold salaries for three months in a row.
“It’s a welcome development. It removes the irritants between the employers and the employees. I am sure this new regulation will be appreciated by all labor-exporting countries,” he said.
P.J.J. Antony, an Indian human resource administrator in Jubail, described the ministry’s decision as a major step toward protecting labor rights.
“The Kingdom has to do more in this respect as a considerable number of workers here do not receive their salaries on time,” he said. “Many workers will not be able to prove that their salaries were not paid as their companies do not keep any files or records for them.”
To solve this problem, the Labor Ministry should instruct companies to carry out proper accounting and auditing, and this system can be implemented in coordination with the chambers of commerce and industry. “Many expatriate workers are not aware that there are laws in the Kingdom to protect their rights and they don’t know where to go, whom to approach and what to do,” Antony said. He said embassies should play a bigger role in enhancing awareness of their citizens about Saudi laws by conducting special workshops and counseling services.
T. Balachandran and K. Muralidharan, both second secretaries (welfare) at the Indian Embassy, and K.U. Iqbal, a journalist, welcomed the new Labor Ministry decisions. They pointed out that Indian Ambassador M.O.H. Farook had met with Riyadh Gov. Prince Salman and Labor Minister Gosaibi and requested them to take measures to protect the rights of Indian workers, especially housemaids. They said by coming forward with the new regulation, the Saudi government has put the sponsors on notice.
Saifuddin Thassin, a Sri Lankan executive working with a major Riyadh-based bank, called the ministry’s decision a step in the right direction. “I know that the Sri Lankan Embassy has received many complaints about maltreatment of housemaids. This regulation will go a long way toward protecting the interests of the poor housemaids.”
— With input from Javid Hassan in Riyadh
