MADINA: The government has rejected the new contractual conditions laid down by the Philippines government regarding employment of its nationals in Saudi Arabia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused to implement the contract demanded by the Philippines and sought its revision. Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs, asked the Ministry of Labor to order the National Recruitment Committee at the Council of Saudi Chambers to order private recruitment offices in the Kingdom not to make it a condition for Saudi employers wanting to recruit workers from the Philippines, to bring an endorsed contract from the Philippine embassy. The Council of Saudi Chambers approached all Chambers in the Kingdom on the matter. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent a memo to the Embassy of the Philippines in Riyadh stating its rejection of some of the contract's conditions because they are in violation of Saudi domestic regulations. The ministry demanded that the embassy reconsider the conditions and rewrite the contract. The Philippines has set conditions for the recruitment of its workers at its embassy in Riyadh. One of the conditions allows it to obtain private information on the family and social situation of Saudi citizens. However, Saudis who own recruitment offices in the Philippines are allegedly not treated well. They say the country's regulations prevent a Saudi from running his office because a Philippines national must be the manager, so a Saudi is only allowed to monitor the work. Another issue is that many Filipinos who quit their jobs in the Kingdom often allegedly sue the offices that recruited them. The court then issues a decision forcing the Saudi-owned office to pay the salary of the workers for the entire period of the contract. This has caused huge losses for Saudis, it has been claimed.
