THE Ministry of Labor has unfortunately arrived at the conclusion that the best way to settle the dispute between private school owners and the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) is to put the latter's fees on the shoulders of both male and female teachers. The ministry's committee, which was set up to rule on the issue, has allowed private schools to pay teachers a minimum wage of SR1,500 without taking into consideration the Royal Decree that set the minimum wage of private school Saudi teachers at SR5,000 with an additional transport allowance of SR600. Did I not tell you in an earlier article that teachers are the weakest link in this conflict and that it was them who would ultimately pay the price? Is the Human Resources Development Fund unable to pay GOSI fees from its resources which were increased under a Royal Decree? Or are the owners of private schools unable to pay? These owners are unwilling to forego a single riyal when students enroll in their schools and often exploit parents by charging exorbitant tuition fees and not delivering on the promised high quality of education. I call on all male and female teachers to file a complaint at the Court of Grievances against the Ministry of Labor's unjust decision. The ministry has no right to undermine the rights of teachers or those of GOSI. If the ministry thinks the best way of getting rid of the issue was by putting the responsibility on teachers' shoulders, then it should also understand that teachers can seek justice in our courts, which can in turn force the ministry to take back its decision.
