“False reports about workers that they are runaways are mostly made when there are disputes, particularly regarding unpaid salaries, between a kafeel and his worker. The Passport Department, which does not want any expatriate leaving the Kingdom without receiving his eligible rights in full, is also interested in finding the truth about complaints about runaway workers,” said Hassan Shareef, the director general of the Makkah Branch of the NSHR.
Shareef attributed the woes of foreign workers to their ignorance of their legal rights. He added that there have been situations in which workers were illegally arrested on the basis of false reports. He said the Passport Department agreed to appoint an officer who could be contacted at any time of the day or night to deal with emergency cases of illegal arrests after the NSHR convinced the department about the gravity of the situation.
“We are convinced that mostly a sponsor makes a false report when he owes a huge salary arrears to his worker and he does not intend to pay the money. Government departments and civil organizations are always willing to help victims of such situations,” he said.
The Labor Office in Jeddah has taken several measures to solve issues between sponsors and laborers. Any establishment with 300 workers has the right to set up a workers committee to find solutions for the problems of workers and kafeels. If a worker refuses to work or runs away a sponsor can inform police and the Labor Office for necessary actions. On the other hand, if a kafeel does not pay the salary, a worker should inform the Labor Office without stopping his work. The office will send an inspector to investigate the matter. A worker can also complain to the office if his work environment posed threat to his health, or the employer violated his rights. The office will act on the basis of its inspector’s findings. If the sponsor, who is clearly in the wrong, refuses to comply with the directives of the office, he will have to face penal measures up to the closure of the establishment depending on the seriousness of the violation.
A source at the Passport Department said a sponsor accused of making a false report that his worker ran away would be fined SR5,000 and the validity of the license of his establishment would be reconsidered. On the other hand, a run-away worker will be arrested and deported. If it is found that he is working with another employer, the cost of his deportation has to be paid by that employer.
If a runaway laborer is arrested three months after his kafeel reported the matter and the worker does not possess the cost of his tickets the government will meet the cost of his deportation, the source said.
