Suraisiry, Minister for Transport, receives Pakistani Ambassador Muhammad Naeem Khan at his office in Riyadh, Tuesday. The ambassador highlighted the contribution of Pakistani engineers, technicians and other workers in the development of the Kingdom's infrastructure and discussed ways of further strengthening cooperation between the two countries. — SPADAMMAM – A decision by the Ministry of Labor three months ago to fix a ceiling on the percentage of Indian fishermen to 40 percent of the work-force has not only annoyed the majority of fishing boats owners but also affected the size of the catch and increased the price of fish. Yousif Khalil Al-Umairy, a Saudi fisherman, said the Ministry of Labor rule to all the owners to diversify work visas, by setting a limit of 40 percent for Indians and the remaining 60 percent to be employed from different nationalities has caused an irreparable damage to the fishermen in the Eastern Province in particular and fishermen in other parts of the Kingdom in general. He said Indian fishermen have proven to be very efficient in the field unlike other nationalities primarily because they come from a similar environment and are the best to deal with the Kingdom's marine environment. He said that in 2005, a similar decision by the ministry was abolished when shipping boat owners protested on the rule's impracticality. Muhammad Al-Markhan, chief of Fisheries in Dammam, said the total number of the foreign fishermen working in the Kingdom is small – around 20,000 – and this number doesn't threaten the country's employment if we consider that there are more than 8 million foreign workers in the Kingdom. He said the application of the Nitaqat System has forced 75 percent of the fishing boat owners to quit the business, adding that the remaining 25 percent will soon give up once their foreign workers begin leaving. He charged that the ministry's inconsistency has badly affected the industry, pointing out that many Saudi fishermen had been trying unsuccessfully to recruit workers. Ja'afr Al-Safwani, deputy chief, said the ministry's decision has forced many of the Indian fishermen to look for jobs in neighboring countries, a matter that has badly affected the catch. He said the price of fish has increased tremendously and will continue its upward spiral unless the ministry revises its decision.
