The Ministry of Labor has said that it is working hard to protect the rights of workers without any discrimination on the basis of nationality. In a statement issued here, the ministry said that it is making all efforts to implement labor laws protecting Saudi nationals and expatriates alike. The ministry said that it is leaving no stone unturned to realize the vision of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to protect human rights and to check human trafficking, which, it added, is in contrast to the legislation, values and genuine principles of the Kingdom derived from the Shariah. Regarding some of the questions raised by local dailies about the violation of labor laws with a particular reference to expatriates living in the Kingdom, the ministry admitted that such violations do occur on the part of both employers and workers. “We also do not deny some pending cases between the two parties taking into consideration that there are eight million expatriates working in the Kingdom, and, thus, it is not surprising to find such disputes which happen everywhere in the world,” the statement said. “We should not go by the number of cases and disputes, but by the laws, which preserve the rights without any discrimination, even though we have to respect opinions which are in our favor or against us.” Referring to some decisions taken by the Ministry of Labor, it said that the ministry has already reduced the working hours of people involved in the chemical, construction, paper, leather, textiles and timber industries to seven hours a day. “One of the most important decisions which guarantees workers' rights is a ministerial decision, which punishes any establishment or organization that delays payment of salaries to workers. Article 1 of the decision calls for a ban on those establishments which delay the payment of workers' salaries for two months from recruiting workers for one year. Furthermore, the penalties increase with the duration of the period of non-payment of salary.” The statement also said that a royal decree is already in place to check human trafficking. The law punishes those who commit human trafficking with a maximum of 15 years in prison or a fine of SR1 million or both.
