JEDDAH: Inspectors of the Ministry of Labor and Social Development, who are assigned to follow up on the mobile sector nationalization, now in its first phase, have detected 2,702 violations to the decision throughout the Kingdom. They have referred 1,993 of the cases for prosecution.

The Eastern Province registered the highest rate of violations at 765, while Najran recorded the lowest at 14 violations, the ministry said.

It said it would not tolerate anyone who violates the decision which, it said, will create job opportunities for male and female Saudi youths.

Based on the latest data, the number of firms committed to implement the decision since the beginning of Ramadan up to Shawwal 18, 1437, has increased from 669 to 15,748, respectively.

The Eastern Province’s firms were the highest in implementing the decision followed by Riyadh Province at 4,828 and 2,278, respectively, according to ministry figures.

The ministry’s undersecretary for inspection and work environment, Fahad bin Abdullah Al-Owaidi, said the ministry has so far conducted 18,574 inspection tours to mobile shops across the Kingdom.

He stressed the tours would continue until the mobile sector is fully localized by the beginning of Dul Hijjah 1437.

Providing more details on the inspection tours, he said the Eastern Province was the highest at 5,310 firms, followed by Riyadh (2,607), Makkah (2,345), Qasim (1,882), Asir (1,689) and Madinah (1,311).

The ministry appealed to all customers to report any irregularities related to the telecom localization decision through the link http://rasd.ma3an.gov.sa or via the customer service phone at 19911.

A number of citizens have called for strict monitoring of mobile shops to uncover fraudulent practices. Speaking to Arab News, they said there were many stores owned by foreign workers who are misleading inspection committees by hiring Saudis at salaries different from those registered in the social insurance system.

Salih Al-Amri, a Saudi citizen, said some Saudis who need jobs, such as retirees or youths who are still in different educational stages, are being paid low salaries while they are registered in the social insurance system at high salaries.

He said trading in hiring Saudis by store owners has become open as it happened in earlier Saudi programs and the Nitaqat system to the extent that some firms used to grant SR500 to a Saudi employee to use his name in the insurance system and raise the Nitaqat ratio which will allow the owner to recruit more foreign manpower.

Yasir Al-Harbi said the mobile nationalization system offers opportunities for more manipulation and circumvention of Saudi youths seeking jobs. He said with the beginning of Dul Hijjah (the deadline for 100 percent Saudization), the system will be shifting from circumventing to the cover-up business system where, according to him, mobile shops will be in the name of Saudis while they are practically owned by foreigners, unless there is strict control and firm penalties for violators.