Companies which wish to reach their Saudization quotas must not only hire Saudi workers but must also pay them well, Minister of Labor Adel Fakieh said during a visit to Al-Ahsa. He also revealed plans for a joint ministries of labor and finance program to motivate companies to Saudize jobs. Under the program, cards will be issued that will document the number of Saudis employed by a company and their salary levels. The minister warned that a company will not achieve the required percentage for Saudization if it only employs a large number of Saudi nationals without giving them good salaries. He, however, expressed happiness that most factories were run by Saudi nationals and that many of these were in the Green Zone of the Saudization program while others were in the Excellent Zone. He pledged that the ministry would support them to continue their growth and expansion. Regarding workers who feel that they are being poorly paid or unfairly treated, Fakieh insisted that regulations clearly protect workers and that there are commissions to settle grievances between workers and employers. He said that if the case is not settled, then it is referred to the Commission for the Settlement of Labor Cases, which is as good as a High Court. Regarding whether football players were entitled to benefit from the Hafiz unemployment assistance program, Fakieh said, “If a football player is receiving a salary then he has no right to get any benefits from Hafiz. Any person who receives a salary of over SR2,000 a month has no right to join the program.” __
