The Ministry of Labor is scheduled to hold discussions with National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) in the next few days on labor disputes referred to the society over the last year. Mufleh Al-Qahtani, NSHR President, said the discussions would focus on ways to address lengthy delays in labor dispute cases and on proposals to establish regional labor courts. Al-Qahtani said the NSHR would ask the ministry to set out a clear system of procedures to the cases being prolonged in courts. “An expatriate worker taking his employer to court should have his sponsorship transferred until the case is resolved,” Al-Qahtani said. “We need the ministry to avoid repeating its mistakes, and we need a clear system that protects Saudis and expatriates alike,” Al-Qahtani added. An NSHR report showed it received more than 543 complaints from workers last year, involving arbitrary dismissal, sponsorship transfer problems, prohibition of travel, forced retirement, forced payment of medical insurance and others. The complaints were directed at sponsors, private companies, the Passports Department, restaurants, banks, insurance companies, the Deportation and Expatriate departments, educational institutes and schools. The NSHR sent over 20 letters to the ministry and received responses to six only.
