According to a report by the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), courts in Saudi are studying cases of salary inequalities between Saudis and foreigners, especially Westerners. And 50 employees in a private company have filed complaints that their salaries are less than those of foreign employees and have asked that the salaries be standardized. The Labor Ministry commented on the case, saying that it would not accept any discrimination between Saudi employees and foreign ones. This particular case seems to have opened the doors to all kinds of work-related grievances among Saudis. We hope their discontent will not only continue to be made public but will also, as it should, be addressed by the authorities and then eliminated.
At the same time, we should consider closely the implication of discrimination in the workplace. Though different salaries are clear examples, there are numerous other acts of discrimination in Saudi workplaces that go unreported and unpunished. Shouldn’t we consider the other forms of discrimination that managers and supervisors practice on employees? What about the slave/master relationship that is common in most workplaces — the word of the boss is final and cannot be argued with or even discussed. In some places, this relationship divides employees into teams; the winning team is the one on the administration’s good side whereas the losers are those who disagree with the administration and are labeled “troublemakers.”
The administration usually feels that this group needs a few lashes from the disciplinary whip from time to time, just to keep them in line. In all these situations, we are not talking about competence, performance or even what is best for work. What we are talking about is personal feelings, personal likes and dislikes and personal preferences.
To return to the matter of discrimination in salaries, I remember a case where an Egyptian-American doctor applied for a job in Saudi Arabia. He used his Egyptian passport and to his surprise, the offered salary was much lower than he expected. It was not long before a friend told him of his mistake; he should have used his American passport. He applied again, using the US passport and was offered a package which he would never have got had he stuck to his Arab passport.
The NSHR, in its reports, “noted differences in treatment between foreign nationals according to their home countries. It mentioned that the Kingdom signed a treaty with the International Labor Organization in 1951 guaranteeing equal wage for men and women doing the same job.”
To leave workplace inequalities, the NSHR report brings a breath of fresh air to all who have been fighting discrimination and injustice. It did actually tackle discrimination against women, asked for an end to the rule of male guardians for all women and the need for male approval of all matters related to women.
A large part of the report dealt with women’s rights and their inability to pass on their nationality to their non-Saudi spouses and children.
Mention was also made of forced marriages, the lack of educational opportunities for women in certain specialties and domestic violence which is defined as violence in the home against women and children. Domestic violence, according to the report, has reached “alarming levels.”
The report includes violations of prisoners’ rights and cited a number of cases in which non-Saudis have been humiliated, mistreated and abused by the Saudi police, government officials and members of the Committee to Promote Virtue and Prevent Vice. The list enumerates the abuses including “ using abusive language, making unsubstantiated accusations and humiliating people during interrogation. Beating people and using force to arrest suspects and take them to detention centers. Using force during investigations as well as unnecessary body searches. Forced entry into private residences. Confiscating mobile phones and personal belongings. Using pressure and humiliation in order to force people to sign confessions.”
Not much has been left out, we are happy to say. And with such a remarkable report, it seems that we can say with pride that the NSHR is moving in the right direction. We can only hope that serious attention will be paid to the report and that steps will be taken to eliminate most of the problems.
