JEDDAH — The Ministry of Labor on Thursday ordered a supermarket in Makkah to reinstate women cashiers it fired a couple of weeks ago.The management of Al-Nouri Markets has also been served with a copy of the order that allows Saudi women to work as cashiers in sales outlets, Al-Hayat newspaper reported on Friday. The decision unequivocally clarifies the ministry's position and the legality of employing Saudi women jobseekers as sales clerks, Al-Hayat quoted an official at the ministry as saying. He said the ministry gave the fired workers the freedom to go back to their previous work or to look for other jobs. Emad Al-Nouri, General Manager of Al-Nouri Markets, confirmed the ministry's order. “We will do our best to reinstate the women cashiers since we have a clear decision from the ministry allowing their return to work. We will start re-hiring the fired cashiers in Ramadan or immediately after Eid Al-Fitr. This is because we have to work out their duty schedule.” About reservations by some of the cashiers to return to work, Al-Nouri said, “It was not our decision to terminate their services. We were obliged to stop them because there was no clarification from the ministry about the employment of Saudi women as cashiers in supermarkets. But the situation is now different as the ministry has given its explicit consent and provided us with an official document. We will soon be in touch with the sacked women who we had trained and ask them to return to work soon.” Maraim Ahmad, one of the fired cashiers, said, “I don't think I will be comfortable going back to work after what had happened. It was very scary. I'm afraid the management or the Hai'a will take revenge. The bottom line of any workplace is stability and comfort. I don't feel comfortable going back there despite my dire need for work.” Ahmad said it was not just for money that she worked, but she also wanted to escape from the monotony of long, boring days at home. “I live with my brother, who is sick now, since my parents died when I was a child. Contact with people relieves me of the boredom to some extent,” said Ahmad. Another cashier who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “Despite all of these problems, I don't mind going back to work. It is really important that I have a steady job and I am ready to forget whatever happened in the past and return to my old job.” – SG
