Females have replaced all male packing workers at the Dates Packaging Factory of Al-Ahsa Company for Food Industries, resulting in a remarkable improvement in productivity, according to the company. The 90 female workers were recently able to package over 12 tons of dates daily at the factory, Muhammad Bin Ismail Al-Ismail, the company's representative, told Al-Watan newspaper. Al-Ismail said the company has prioritized the employment of women. “We believe that Saudi women can be creative in all fields. Therefore we replaced all male workers with females inside the factory. We hired 90 women including girls from poor families and others who are orphans.” He said the female workers were much more productive than their male counterparts. Female workers excelled in terms of the quality of packaging and manufacturing, he pointed out. “Female workers are punctual and rarely ask for permission to leave before work hours end. Work starts at 8 A.M. and ends at 3 P.M., Saturday through Wednesday with Thursday and Friday off. Monthly salaries range between SR1,600 and SR2,500 for permanent employees while daily wages for temporary workers range between SR50 and SR60. Each female worker is entitled to maternity leave and pregnant workers are given less physical work.” The company's board of directors was very satisfied with the female workers' performance and recommended that they be hired again for next season, Al-Ismail pointed out. An American delegation specializing in agricultural affairs visited the factory last week and admired the performance and capability of all the female workers, he added. “Some female workers have started their own small businesses selling dates. Ten have started selling dates stuffed with nuts. They work from their homes.” The factory's management has given women other positions. This includes administrative roles such as director of workers' affairs, secretary, and supervisors of quality assurance, he said. Al-Ismail said that women have proven that they can excel at jobs previously dominated by men.
