Saudi Arabia: All labour services to go online

May 9, 2014

Labour_services

Riyadh, May 9: The Ministry of Labor plans to shift all its services online soon, including the paperwork for domestic workers, and early warnings for companies it decides to move into the Red Zone of the Nitaqat System, a ministry official has said.

“We are trying our best to improve the performance level of our services with ease of access ... that satisfies both customers and the ministry,” said Ziyad Al-Saegh, undersecretary for customer services and worker relations at the ministry.

Al-Saegh was speaking at a workshop to explain the ministry's e-services organized by the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

He said the ministry completed 11 million e-services requests over the past six months. The customer services section receives 110,000 complaints a month from employers through its call center, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Officials respond to queries in 12 seconds, he said.

He urged employers to keep their account passwords secret and maintain the confidentiality of their information.

Al-Saegh urged employers to monitor the activities of their liaison officers to ensure that no one tampers with their accounts at the ministry. He said employers must inform the ministry if their e-mail accounts are hacked. He also called on the RCCI to ensure that its members supply correct information to the ministry.

Al-Saegh admitted that the ministry had incorrectly suspended services for companies where their employees had expired permits because they left the country on exit-reentry visas. This was because of poor data sharing between the ministry and the Passports Department. However, updates were now taking place every 24 hours, which would solve this problem, he said.

Al-Saegh said the ministry is also trying to ensure it has access to information held by other government agencies, to make sure it does not cut services to companies that have renewed their municipal permits and zakat certificates. He conceded that the ministry has suspended services for some firms, and delayed resuming those of others, because it did not have access to updated information.

However, the ministry has an online link with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to determine if companies have renewed their commercial licenses.

Al-Saegh said people should try to get appointments at branch offices rather than the main office in Riyadh because it is always busy. If they cannot get an appointment, they should file a complaint, he said.

The ministry would also in future provide firms with online advance warnings if they are going to be classified into the Red Zone of the Nitaqat System, have their services suspended, or if some documentation has to be renewed.

Al-Saegh said the ministry would in a few weeks introduce a system to have updated information on workers in jail. This would help ease problems for them. The ministry would deal with special individual issues separately.

He said sponsors would soon be able to complete the paperwork for domestic workers through the Musaned portal including recruitment, registering of data, and getting visas. Recruitment through private agencies would also be done online in future, he said.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
Agencies
July 22,2020

Dubai, Jul 22: Saudi Arabia's Minister of Haj and Umrah, Dr Muhammad Saleh Benten, has inspected the facilities and arrangement made for the Haj pilgrims in Makkah and the holy sites.

Speaking to the Saudi Press Agency after the tour, the minister said that the Saudi government has worked out unprecedented plans for the running of this year's Haj, enabling pilgrims to perform their rituals in ease and comfort.
 
This year's Haj, which has been scaled back dramatically to include only around 1,000 Muslim pilgrims as Saudi Arabia battles a coronavirus surge, will begin on July 29, authorities said Monday.

"The comprehensive, foolproof plans will be implemented by the security, health and service agencies. The plans include the provision of the best health services, and the most appropriate crowd control, strictly in line with the precautionary measures and preventive protocols, formulated by the Ministry of Health to ensure full safety of pilgrims from the coronavirus pandemic," Dr Benten said.

According to the Saudi Gazette, Benten emphasised the eagerness of the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to implement the Haj operation by following the highest health standards and precautionary measures in order to ensure the safety of the pilgrims.

Earlier, the minister inspected the arrangements and facilities for the reception and accommodation of pilgrims at Four Point Hotel in Makkah.

He was briefed by ministry officials with regard to receiving and accommodating pilgrims during the period from 4 to 8 of Dhul Hijjah before leaving for Mina.

Benten also visited the tents in Arafat and the facilities in Muzdalifah.

After that, his inspection tour visited the tent city of Mina, where he viewed one of the towers designated for the housing of pilgrims. 

According to the Saudi Gazette, he was impressed with the services and facilities being arranged for the accommodation and serving of food for the pilgrims.

To complete his visit, the minister watched a visual presentation of the mechanism for providing logistical services for the pilgrims during their travel from accommodation to Jamarat to undertake the stoning ritual.

Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Bin Wasl Al Ahmadi, assistant commander of the Haj security forces for the Grand Mosque and its premises, said on Tuesday that the security plan for this year's pilgrimage prioritises on organisational, security, humanitarian and health aspects.

He said the Haj security forces have installed entry and exit mechanisms from the Grand Mosque during Haj, with passages for pilgrims extending from the southern and western premises of venue as well as special passages around the circumambulation and Saey areas.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
January 8,2020

Dubai, Jan 8: Iranian state television said on Wednesday that at least 80 "American terrorists" were killed in attacks involving 15 missiles Tehran launched on US targets in Iraq, adding that none of the missiles were intercepted.

State TV, citing a senior Revolutionary Guards source, also said Iran had 100 other targets in the region in its sights if Washington took any retaliatory measures. It also said US helicopters and military equipment were "severely damaged".

Iran launched missile attacks on US-led forces in Iraq in the early hours of Wednesday in retaliation for the US drone strike on an Iranian commander whose killing has raised fears of a wider war in the Middle East.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
Agencies
May 17,2020

Jerusalem, May 17: The Chinese ambassador to Israel was found dead in his home north of Tel Aviv on Sunday, Israel's Foreign Ministry said.

No cause of death was given and Israeli police said it was investigating.

Du Wei, 58, was appointed envoy in February in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. He previously served as China's envoy to Ukraine.

He is survived by a wife and son, both of whom were not in Israel.

Israel enjoys good relations with China.

The ambassador's death comes just two days after he condemned comments by visiting U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who denounced Chinese investments in Israel and accused China of hiding information about the coronavirus outbreak.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.