Saudi: Labour ministry plans program to protect rights of domestic workers

March 15, 2014

Ministry-of-labor

Jeddah, Mar 15: The Ministry of Labor announced plans to launch a program next week to ensure the rights of domestic workers and to ascertain the responsibilities of employers toward their employees.

The program will introduce and discuss the rights that domestic workers are entitled to receive from their employers, including health care, contract renewals, paid sick leaves and days off.

In addition, the program will also provide information on service providers, such as recruitment offices and the commission responsible for the settlement of labor disputes.

“I believe that domestic workers will benefit immensely through this program,” said Mohammad Nazmul Islam, consul general of Bangladesh. “It does not only benefit domestic workers, but will also raise awareness among sponsors of their rights over domestic workers. I hope this will be implemented as soon as possible.”

The Ministry of Labor also recently announced that their customer service center now provides services in eight different languages in order to spread a clear understanding of labor rights and make it easier to lodge complaints or report irregularities to authorities.

This service is set to serve all employees and domestic workers in the Kingdom. The ministry states that with the help of the ministry’s toll free number, workers are now able to report of any violation or mistreatment they receive from their sponsors.

Islam said that the ministry has taken up the initiative in providing customer services in eight different languages. “Not many domestic workers are able to converse in either Arabic or English. There is always a language barrier when they try explaining things to authorities.”

According to M.B.M Zarook, first secretary at the Sri Lankan Consulate in Jeddah, the Ministry of Labor has taken considerable steps to protect the rights of migrant workers compared with last year.

“I appreciate the Saudi government’s efforts and the Labor Ministry’s decision to implement such a program,” said Zarook. “Sri Lanka has already signed a memorandum of understanding for the protection of domestic workers from the island nation in the Kingdom. The agreement includes provisions that stipulate that contracts should be in a language that is understood by the worker and that the worker must be informed of what to do and whom to turn to in case of an emergency.”

According to the memorandum, workers also must be made aware of the facilities available to them, especially when it comes to health and personal safety. “They are also entitled to full health care and paid sick leave,” he said.

Zarook said that the ministry’s customer service in eight languages is highly appreciated since most domestic workers can’t speak the Arabic language. “Communicating with officers and lodging complaints will be much easier in their native language,” he said.

Ali Al-Qurashi, an investor in the recruitment sector, confirmed that there are more than a million domestic workers in the Kingdom. He said that the agreements signed between the Ministry of Labor and other countries to import workers must be balanced and guarantee the rights of the parties.

He stressed the importance of treating workers fairly, paying salaries on time and refraining from making laborers work long hours.

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Agencies
April 27,2020

Riyadh, Apr 27: A Saudi Arabia-led coalition said on Monday that all parties need to return to the status that existed before the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Yemen declared an emergency in Aden, according to a statement published by Spa.

The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, stresses the need to restore conditions to their previous state following the announcement of a state of emergency by the Southern Transitional Council and the consequential development of affairs in the interim capital (Aden) and some Southern governorates in the Republic of Yemen.

The Coalition urges for an immediate end to any steps contrary to the Riyadh Agreement, and work rapidly toward its implementation, citing the wide support for the agreement by the international community and the United Nations.

The Coalition has and will continue to undertake practical and systematic steps to implement the Riyadh Agreement between the parties to unite Yemeni ranks, restore state institutions and combat the scourge of terrorism. The responsibility rests with the signatories to the Agreement to undertake national steps toward implementing its provisions, which were signed and agreed upon with a time matrix for implementation. The Coalition demands an end to any escalation and calls for return to the Agreement by the participating parties, stressing the immediate need for implementation without delay, and the need to prioritise the Yemeni peoples' interests above all else, as well as working to achieve the stated goals of restoring the state, ending the coup and combatting terrorist organizations.

The Coalition reaffirms its ongoing support to the legitimate Yemeni government, and its support for implementing the Riyadh Agreement, which entails forming a competent government that operate from the interim capital Aden to tackle economic and developmental challenges, in light of natural disasters such as floods, fears of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic outbreak, and work to provide services to the brotherly people of Yemen.

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Agencies
June 22,2020

Riyadh, Jun 22: The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (MMRA) in Saudi Arabia has announced the continuation of the ban on providing Shisha (hubble-bubble), and the closure of children's play areas in restaurants as a precautionary measure for protecting the health of citizens and residents from the novel coronavirus COVID-19 infection.

The new stage, in which the Kingdom is beginning to coexist with the virus, focuses on the concept of "social distancing" that has emerged since the start of the coronavirus crisis throughout the world,

It stipulates leaving at least 2 meters between one person and the other in public places to prevent the transmission of infection, in addition to covering the mouth and nose by wearing a facemask.

It also specifies complying with the preventive protocols in workplaces, stores, shops, mosques and tourist attractions, with human gatherings not to exceed 50 people, as a maximum.

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News Network
January 16,2020

Dubai, Jan 16: The UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment on Wednesday announced that it has banned the import of birds, some eggs and meat products from Hungary and Slovakia.

The ministry said the decision was taken following a notification from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) on the outbreak of a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu, H5N2, in the two countries.

Accordingly, the ministry has banned "the import of all species of domestic and wild live birds, ornamental birds, chicks, hatching eggs, meats and meat products and non-heat-treated wastes from Hungary and Slovakia".

It has also regulated the import of poultry meat and non-heat-treated products, requiring a health certificate for the export of meat and meat products from the two countries to release consignments into the UAE.

A health certificate will be needed for the import of eggs, the ministry added.

However, thermally-treated poultry products (meat and eggs) have been cleared for import from all parts of Hungary and Slovakia.

Kaltham Ali Kayaf, Acting Director, Animal Development & Health Department at the ministry, said: "These measures reiterate the ministry's keenness in achieving its strategic objectives including enhancing bio-security levels and eliminating pathogens before they enter the country. In doing so, the ministry prevents the bird flu virus and related risks and impacts on the country's poultry health and safety, in addition to protecting public health and well-being."

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