DAMMAM — Members of the Shoura Council claim that there are about six million workers on the loose in the Kingdom who pose security, social and economic problems to the country. They said the Council of Ministers' decision to strictly enforce the law that bans foreigners from working for anyone other than their legal sponsors is a correct move that will benefit the citizens and the country as a whole. This decision will allow young men to successfully establish small- and medium-size businesses that they can run for themselves. These young men have suffered because of unfair competition from foreigners who have been breaking the country's residency and labor regulations. The decision was also meant to sustain the country's economic achievements and preserve its security. Speaking to Al-Riyadh newspaper, a number of Shoura members and economists said the Kingdom is keen on protecting foreign workers' rights, but the government has the right to prevent commercial cover-up, where foreigners are left to work on their own or run businesses in the name of their sponsors in return for a monthly royalty. Dr. Fahd Bin Jumaah, a member of the Shoura Council, applauded the decision to put an end to cover-up operations and bring to book foreigners who have been running businesses illegally, causing huge economic damage to the Kingdom. He, however, added that the authorities are required to develop a mechanism that will protect these medium and small businesses from closure. He praised the grace period granted to businesses to rectify their situation, after which the decision will be strictly applied. He said that expatriate remittances abroad exceed SR100 billion a year. “This is an exorbitant sum that will have negative economic consequences.” Bin Jumaah, however, cautioned that if the decision is not applied correctly, it will have negative consequences for the economy. "It will lead to a dramatic increase in the prices of essential goods and services. It will also have long-term implications such as a shortage of workers, resulting in a major crisis that will cripple economic growth, especially in view of the rapid development currently taking place in the Kingdom. It will also result in the disappearance of 40 percent of small businesses, and will harm the property market. Dr. Talal Al-Bakri, a former Shoura member, said the decision will result in the increased Saudization of jobs. The government welcomes expatriate workers from Arab, Islamic and other countries. However, it should be according to clear regulations, and that those workers not commit violations that affect the economy and the consumers. The needs of companies requesting work visas should be verified before granting them the go-ahead to import workers. Adnan Al-Neaim, an economist, focused on the many negative effects of an unregulated foreign workforce. "They are practicing activities away from monitoring bodies, which subject consumers to fraud. They have also committed a number of crimes, such as thefts and sexual harassment affecting the culture of society," he said. Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Etaishan, president of the Consolidated Contractors Company, stressed the importance of regulating the issuance of visas to counteract trading in visas that resulted in the spread of "loose" workers.
