JEDDAH: The owners of some recruitment offices are supporting a proposal by several Shoura Council members for the Ministry of Interior (MoI) to oversee hiring procedures in the country rather than the Labor Ministry.

The owners were quoted as saying in a local publication on Thursday that recruitment affects the security and safety of citizens. They accused the Labor Ministry of being incompetent and signing pacts with countries that are not protecting the rights of Saudi employers.

Several recruitment office employees reportedly said that the Labor Ministry had signed “poor” and “unsuccessful” pacts with labor-exporting nations. Some even accused the ministry of favoring these foreign nations.

Majid Al-Haqas, a spokesman for several disgruntled recruitment office owners, alleged problems only surfaced when the responsibility for hiring was taken over by the Labor Ministry.

Al-Haqas said some agreements in the past had been fair and protected the rights of both parties. “However, the past seven recruitment agreements signed by the Labor Ministry recently are very weak,” he said.

Al-Haqas claimed that citizens do not have rights under the new agreements. “After three months, if a worker refuses to work, a sponsor won’t be able to get his money back. There is no insurance built into the agreements to assist citizens if workers run away,” he said.

Faisal Al-Qathami, a recruitment specialist, said that Shoura members had valid concerns, which they raised because of grievances highlighted by those working in the field. There was need to revise these labor pacts to protect the rights of all parties, he said.

Recruitment office owner Dawlat Badawoud said that it would be best for the Interior Ministry to take over these functions because of the security issues involved.

The controversy comes in the wake of a Shoura Council session on Monday, the first after a three-month summer recess, where several members said that the Interior Ministry should be tasked with hiring processes because it was more competent.

The Labor Ministry has also been criticized by Saudi recruiters and citizens in the past over agreements seen to be infringing on the privacy and rights of citizens.