JEDDAH – The Ministry of Labor categorically denied Tuesday press reports that it had exempted cleaning companies from implementing the Nitaqat system. The ministry also announced a new system that imposes more restrictions on cleaning companies and establishments, which fail to fulfill the Nitaqat guidelines. Under the system, the government agency supervising the cleaning project would be tasked with handling the affairs of the workers, including renewal of their work permit, and the firms will be banned from undertaking any new contracts in future. In a statement, carried by the Saudi Press Agency, the ministry emphasized that that there would be no exemption for any cleaning company from implementing the Nitaqat regulations. “The press reports that Labor Minister Adel Fakieh issued instructions to give exemption to cleaning companies from implementing the system were inaccurate and did not represent the measures being taken by the ministry against the firms that failed to achieve the required percentage of Saudization,” the statement said. The ministry drew attention to the fact that some cleaning companies failed to fulfill its directives ever since the launching of the Nitaqat system. “They fell in red category and subsequently they were denied of the ministry's services such as renewal of work permit. This situation prompted cleaning workers to stop work and thus jeopardizing the government project for cleaning cities in the Kingdom,” the statement noted. The ministry said it has introduced a new system for effective implementation of cleaning projects and ensuring public interests through imposing more restrictions on failed companies and contractors. The system stipulates that the ministry and the project supervising government agency would sign a joint agreement by which the agency would take a count of the cleaners working under the company and send their details together with that of the remaining period of the contract to the ministry. The ministry would then open a file to renew their work permit, and that will be through direct coordination with the agency and not through the contractor. The agency must ensure prompt disbursement of their salaries, and make necessary deductions for end of service benefits. These workers will be allowed neither to remain under their firm nor transfer their sponsorship to other firms. But they can be transferred to firms that win new cleaning contracts provided that the new firm is not associated with their current employer. According to the new system, the failed firms and contractors are not entitled to enter in any future cleaning contract bidding process. The ministry reiterated its determination to serve public interests at any cost by not allowing any laxity on the part of the contractors in fulfilling their responsibility to create job opportunities for Saudis in this vital sector. It also cautioned that in such a scenario they would lose total control over the workers hired by them. Meanwhile, Labor Minister Adel Fakieh said the ministry has no plans to put off implementation of the decision to levy a mandatory annual fee of SR 2,400 for each worker from companies where foreign workers are more than Saudis. “This decision was taken by the Council of Ministers and we have no right to postpone it,” he said. The minister also ruled out exemption for any category from this directive. Fakieh made these remarks while opening the first branch of Al-Shayie Retail Academy in Riyadh Monday. He also disclosed that the ministry would refer files of those violating or circumventing the Nitaqat program to the court of law. “The Kingdom's courts are independent and people are innocent except in cases of their conviction.”– SG
