RIYADH: The National Recruitment Committee (NRC) at the Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry has said that new visas for recruitment from Indonesia are at a “virtual halt”. The NRC said that the memorandum of understanding signed last Sunday with an Indonesian federation in Jeddah contains some points “requiring completion at a later date” for the agreement to come into effect. It said the process could take approximately three months, after which recruitment from Indonesia will recommence. The recruitment committee asked the Saudi public to refrain from requesting new visas for Indonesian workers until the situation becomes clearer and all procedural arrangements have been put in place so as to avoid delays in their visa requests. It added that it would inform the public as and when any developments occur. On Monday Saudi Gazette cited the minister of labor saying that the “good faith” agreement signed with Indonesian representatives included insurance covering the employment of Indonesian house workers as proposed by the NRC. Minister Adel Fakieh then said the agreement was recognized as replacing the conditions that had been put in place by the Indonesian embassy and which were deemed unacceptable by the Saudi government. The embassy's conditions led to a halt in issuing tens of thousands of visas for house workers. Fakieh was reported as saying that the insurance policy would provide security for both employer and employee. The employers are protected should employees abandon their service or should any other issues occur during the term of employment, in which case employers will be compensated by the insurance company for all expenses incurred in the recruitment of workers.
