The Kingdom accords top priority to occupational health and safety, Adel Fakieh, Minister of Labor, said here Monday. Speaking at the 19th World Congress on Occupational Health and Safety, Fakieh said his ministry has taken several measures within the framework of social protection and ensuring safe and healthy working environment. Fakieh noted that among the measures taken by the Kingdom to maintain the rights of workers are the royal decrees issued several months ago, including monthly allowance for the unemployed and payment of wages to those meeting occupational accidents. He said the Kingdom attaches great importance to the health and safety of workers and the Ministry of Labor supervises and follows up workplaces to make sure that they are healthy and free from occupational hazards that cause injuries and deaths. Several ministerial decisions have been issued in this regard, he said. Earlier, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan opened the congress attended by over 30 countries and other relevant international organizations. In his speech, Erdogan emphasized the importance of paying attention to the matters of wages, job safety, and social security. The ministers of labor also adopted ‘Istanbul Declaration of the Ministers of Labor on Preventive Culture'.
