I am writing with regard to the article "Discrimination in fixing wages" (May 17) by Hala Al-Qahtani. She has rightly pointed out the sad situation in the Kingdom where many employers indulge in fixing wages according to the nationality of the employee. In some amusing cases, the salary scale and benefits of employees has changed overnight when they received citizenship of Western countries without any change in their qualifications and experience. In many situations, employees having similar qualifications, near similar experience and doing identical work and even replacing each other during vacations are remunerated differently just because of the color of the cover of their passport. In the medical sector, where each medical practitioner has to pass the test of the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties regardless of his/her nationality, different remunerations on the basis of nationalities sound a bit odd. The writer has mainly focused on discrimination issue related to Saudi nationals. However, it not just Saudis, but, other nationals, especially Asians, who are victims of such discrimination. Discrimination of wages on the basis of nationality is wrong and certainly against the principles of Shariah. It probably all started when Aramco was set up in the Kingdom and wanted to attract people engaged in the oil industry in the United States at that time. Unfortunately, that practice not only continued for a long time, but also spread to other sectors. Although the employment sector is considered to be an open market which allows competition to dictate wages, fixing salary scales on the basis of nationality should be banned by the Ministry of Labor. As the law requires companies and establishments to have bylaws or internal regulations endorsed by the Ministry and circulated among employees, it should oblige companies to stipulate in their internal rules the salary scales for different jobs, trades and professions and ensure that nationality is not one of the determining factors. Of course, employers may offer higher wages to candidates who obtain qualifications from colleges and universities in the West or other renowned institutions, but the nationality or the cover of the passport should not be one of the criteria. As far as accommodating Saudi nationals in the labor market and providing them with meaningful employment, different strategies can be adopted. Most countries ensure that their nationals are given priority and preference for filling vacancies and jobs in public and private companies and Saudi Arabia should also ensure that similar policies are implemented in the Kingdom effectively. I believe that such requirements should not just be applied to HR or marketing jobs or for filling specific positions, but, rather, they should be applied to all skilled and semi-skilled categories. As in many other countries, companies are only allowed to hire expatriate workers when they have failed to find candidates capable of carrying out the required jobs or having the relevant qualifications and skills. As employers will try to circumvent this provision by stipulating their own criteria and conditions with a view to excluding Saudi nationals and obtaining permission to hire non-Saudis, the Ministry of Labor in coordination with the respective agencies should devise job specifications for each category. It could then find Saudi nationals meeting those job specifications from its pool and refer them to employers and only when it does not find Saudi candidates with the required qualifications and skills should job visas be issued or requests for transfer of sponsorship be approved. In order to protect the interests of employers and to ensure that the right work is being discharged by the right person, trade tests should be devised for each technical skill which should include HR and admin jobs as well and all employees regardless of their nationality should be asked to obtain the required trade certification, similar to the tests conducted for medical practitioners. Only those passing the tests should be allowed to provide their services. If Saudi nationals fail in the exams, they should be provided the required training by the relevant governmental agencies and institutes. If employers agree to train Saudi nationals in the skills they require, they could be given some incentives. One of them could be the deduction of the training expenses from the salaries of the employee or the agreement of the employee to work for a certain period without asking for a raise in salary or other entitlements. Unfortunately, in the Kingdom and Gulf countries, HR jobs are considered in a relatively light manner. In fact, human resource management and development is a challenging domain and needs special expertise, skills and qualifications. Of course, in this sector too, qualified and experienced Saudi nationals should be given priority and preference. Saudi Vision 2030 rightly calls for the expansion of the economy and spread of the manufacturing base. It should open up numerous fields and create thousands of opportunities for Saudi workers. They will need guidance, training and encouragement to start their own enterprises and factories. Moreover, banks and the financial institutions will have to play a vital role in providing the necessary capital and becoming partners with Saudi entrepreneurs. The elimination of cover-up businesses will create enormous opportunities for Saudi nationals to actively own and run their own businesses. This issue requires the utmost attention and action as it is not just causing an outflow of funds but is also enabling tax evasion. It is also a major obstacle preventing Saudis from setting up and managing their own businesses. Safi H. Jannaty,
