RIYADH: Mobile shops that did not adhere to the local regulations were shut down during an inspection campaign led by Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Development Ahmed bin Saleh Al-Humaidan in Riyadh.
An official from the ministry did not specify the number of shops closed during the inspection. However, he added that the expatriates who were manning the shop without the locals were booked for various offenses.
The members of the joint inspection included representatives from the ministries of commerce and investment (MCI); labor and social development; municipal and rural affairs; telecommunications and information technology, with the support of the Riyadh police.
Earlier, the MCI announced the joint inspection campaign on stores selling and maintaining mobile phones in various regions of the Kingdom, starting from the first of Ramadan to verify the application and commitment with the regulations and to impose legal penalties on violators. The decision aims to create job opportunities for male and female Saudis.
Speaking to the media, Al-Humaidan said that the Saudi youths who are currently employed in this sector were thankful to the government for helping them find lucrative jobs. He said the inspection campaign is also being carried out in other parts of the Kingdom.
Khalid Abha Al-Khail, spokesman at the Labor Ministry, said the rule applies to all expatriates irrespective of their nationalities. “We need this sector to be full Saudized by Sept. 1,” he said.
The official said the ministry conducts training programs which cover areas such as customer service, sales management, basic and advance maintenance of mobile phones.
The Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) will provide employment support services to enterprises and job-seekers in the telecommunications industry, which would be accessible at www.taqat.sa.
The ministry has warned that violators, particularly those businesspeople and their employees involved in cover-up businesses, would be subject to heavy penalties.
According to the relevant law, the penalties on those proved to practice or being involved in commercial concealment may reach to two year imprisonment and a fine of SR1 million, in addition to deportation of non-Saudis.
The convicts would also be stopped to run the same business for five years.
An official from the ministry did not specify the number of shops closed during the inspection. However, he added that the expatriates who were manning the shop without the locals were booked for various offenses.
The members of the joint inspection included representatives from the ministries of commerce and investment (MCI); labor and social development; municipal and rural affairs; telecommunications and information technology, with the support of the Riyadh police.
Earlier, the MCI announced the joint inspection campaign on stores selling and maintaining mobile phones in various regions of the Kingdom, starting from the first of Ramadan to verify the application and commitment with the regulations and to impose legal penalties on violators. The decision aims to create job opportunities for male and female Saudis.
Speaking to the media, Al-Humaidan said that the Saudi youths who are currently employed in this sector were thankful to the government for helping them find lucrative jobs. He said the inspection campaign is also being carried out in other parts of the Kingdom.
Khalid Abha Al-Khail, spokesman at the Labor Ministry, said the rule applies to all expatriates irrespective of their nationalities. “We need this sector to be full Saudized by Sept. 1,” he said.
The official said the ministry conducts training programs which cover areas such as customer service, sales management, basic and advance maintenance of mobile phones.
The Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) will provide employment support services to enterprises and job-seekers in the telecommunications industry, which would be accessible at www.taqat.sa.
The ministry has warned that violators, particularly those businesspeople and their employees involved in cover-up businesses, would be subject to heavy penalties.
According to the relevant law, the penalties on those proved to practice or being involved in commercial concealment may reach to two year imprisonment and a fine of SR1 million, in addition to deportation of non-Saudis.
The convicts would also be stopped to run the same business for five years.
