Four-year bar on expats unacceptable, says JCCI

August 14, 2014

Jeddah, Aug 14: The Ministry of Labor has said it will not make any exceptions to its decision not to allow private firms falling in the yellow level of the Nitaqat Saudization program to keep their foreign manpower for more than four years even as top industry officials questioned the viability of the decision, which they said will be difficult to implement.ministry of labour

"Not even the manpower with accumulated experience or those born in Saudi Arabia will be exempted from the decision," business daily Al-Eqtisadiah reported on Wednesday quoting an official source in the ministry.

The decision will come into effect on Oct. 25 and six months later, the period of stay will be reduced to two years only.

"The decision will strictly apply to all expatriates working for any of the firms in the yellow Nitaqat category whose stay in the Kingdom has exceeded four years," he said.

The source, however, said expatriate workers of these companies will be allowed to transfer their residence permits to firms in the platinum and green Nitaqat levels.

He said the ministry took the decision to force companies in the yellow Nitaqat level to expedite the Saudization process. "The ministry is determined to employ more Saudis in the private sector," he added.

Meanwhile, members of the board of directors of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry are unanimous in their opinion that it will be extremely difficult for the ministry to enforce its decision, especially in the industrial and contracting sectors.

They warned that the decision will create a manpower deficiency and will adversely affect the Saudization process.

The members also warned against the security, social and economic implications the decision would have on the labor market. They said the Kingdom would become a source of technical and vocational manpower for other countries if the decision was imposed.

Board member Ahmed Al-Marbaie said the decision could not be implemented on the industrial and contracting companies because they depend mainly on expatriate manpower. "These companies are always looking for expatriate manpower with sufficient experience, which they cannot find among Saudis," he said.

Al-Marbaie said if the ministry was adamant on its decision, the Kingdom would lose its trained and qualified foreign manpower. "In this case, we will be sending the qualified foreign manpower to other countries on a gold platter," he said.

"It is not acceptable to lose our trained foreign manpower and the workers who were born in the Kingdom as a result of this decision," he added.

Ibrahim Batterji, deputy chairman of the chamber's industrial committee, said it is not simply possible for the private companies to train the foreign manpower only to lose them in four years.

He warned that as a result of the decision, people might leave the industrial and contracting sectors and would invest in the commercial sector or the stock market instead.

"Saudization needs more time until the national carders are ready to accept all sorts of jobs. We will not be able to solve the problem of unemployment among Saudis by such decisions," he said.

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Agencies
July 23,2020

Abu Dhabi, Jul 23: Muslims in the United Arab Emirates have been asked to perform Eid Al-Adha prayers at home even as mosques will be allowed to operate at an increased capacity of 50 percent from Aug. 3.

Mosques in the UAE have been operating at 30 percent capacity after they reopened on July 1.

Announcing the move, Dr. Saif Al Dhaheri, the official spokesman for the National Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, stated that after assessing the situation and coordinating with the concerned authorities, it was decided that Eid Al-Adha prayers would be conducted in homes and takbeers broadcast through visual and audio means.

He also announced that the Emirates Fatwa Council has recommended that donations and sacrifices should be to official charitable causes in the country only.

Al Dhaheri advised the public to donate during this time to the official charitable bodies in the country with sacrifices and donations, through smart applications concerned with sacrifices or through slaughterhouses outlined by the local authorities that guarantee the application of precautionary and preventive measures and provide remote services without the need to enter livestock markets or slaughterhouses.

Al Dhaheri stressed the need to avoid family visits and gatherings, and replace them using electronic means of communication or phone contact, as well as refraining from distributing Eid gifts and money to children and individuals during this occasion recommending to instead use of electronic alternatives.

Al Dhaheri pointed out that it is necessary to avoid visiting pregnant women, children and those with chronic diseases who are most vulnerable to COVID-19 and not to allow them to leave the home and avoid going out to public places to preserve their health and safety.

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News Network
March 16,2020

Cairo, Mar 16: Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman said G20 summit will work to combat coronavirus and coordinate efforts to ease its economic burdens, state news agency SPA said on Sunday.

In a phone call with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Salman discussed international efforts to fight the flu-like disease, saying the next G20 summit, which will be hosted by the Kingdom, will work on finding medical solutions, SPA added.

The G20 Summit is an annual gathering of representatives of the world's largest economies.

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News Network
May 19,2020

Dubai, May 19: In a heart-warming decision to reunite families that have been split by anti-Covid travel restrictions, the UAE has announced that residents with valid visas stranded outside the country can return from June 1.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship said they will begin the process on Monday, June 1, by allowing the return of those residency holders currently stranded outside the country who have relatives in the UAE. Residents who meet this criteria must apply for a Resident Entry Permit on smartservices.ica.gov.ae.

The ministry and the authority said the decision was taken to reunite families that have been affected by the anti-coronavirus measures taken due to the exceptional circumstances.

"The UAE is keen to facilitate the procedures for holders of UAE residency visas who are stuck outside the country and reunite them with their families who were affected by the precautionary measures taken by the country in light of the current exceptional circumstances to combat Covid-19," the federal authorities were quoted by state news agency Wam.

Hundreds of UAE residents are currently stuck abroad and are separated from their families due to the unexpected freeze on air travel imposed by many countries as precautionary measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The #BringBackUAEresidents hashtag was trending on Twitter on Monday as several residents and families requested the government to expedite their return to the UAE.

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