Labor pact signed with Vietnam

The Kingdom signed a five-year labor pact with Vietnam on Wednesday, which will see the Asian country send 400 domestic workers a month to Saudi Arabia.
Ahmed Al-Fahaid, deputy labor minister for international affairs, signed the agreement with Nguyen Thanh Hoa, deputy minister for labor, invalids and social affairs of Vietnam.
“Vietnam is the fifth country to enter into such an agreement after the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia,” Al-Fahaid said. There are about 3,000 domestic aides out of 15,000 Vietnamese workers in the Kingdom.
Al-Fahaid said that the agreement was aimed at reducing fraud, avoiding the interference of intermediaries and protecting the interests of employers and employees.
The deputy minister said the agreement had a provision for automatic renewal after the five-year term expires. The pact prohibits salary deductions from a domestic worker for recruitment costs, with penalties for violators, he said. The agreement would prevent contract substitution since the Saudi government is committed to enforce regulations on the hiring of domestics, said Al-Fahaid.
He said the agreement would cover 12 categories of workers including drivers, cleaners, housemaids, janitors, tutors and private waiters working for individuals and families.
“We are very confident that cases of abuse will be reduced significantly after this agreement takes effect because the accord ensures fair and humane treatment of domestics.” A 24-hour-a-day mechanism for domestic workers’ assistance will be in place.
Al-Fahaid said the agreement provides for quick resolution of disputes, and facilitation of exit visas for repatriation upon contract completion or during emergencies.
There is a provision in the draft agreement for a joint committee to monitor and evaluate compliance. Vietnam has to ensure its workers are qualified and medically fit.
Meanwhile, several Vietnamese recruiting firms offered to provide their Saudi counterparts with unskilled and skilled workers for between SR1,200 and SR1,300 a month, according to a report in local media.
The offer came during talks held recently between the Vietnamese delegation led by Vietnam’s Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labor Yen Tin and Saudi businessmen at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI).
Mansour Al-Shithri, an RCCI board member and chairman of the labor market committee of the Council of Saudi Chambers, gave a briefing on the benefits offered to foreign workers in Saudi Arabia.
Al-Shithri said the labor system made it mandatory for employers to pay all fees and fines linked with foreign workers and subscriptions to medical and social insurance.
He said the Ministry of Labor recently issued regulations to protect workers, including the wage protection system and allowing expatriates to transfer their sponsorship to other sponsors if their employers fail to meet contract obligations, including renewal of expired agreements.
He said there were no constraints on workers sending money to their home countries.