Saudi hiring firms to deport violating labour in trial period

Cairo: Saudi labour authorities have obligated recruitment offices in the kingdom to deport workers who refuse to work during the trial period, a Saudi newspaper has reported.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Development’s Musaned domestic labour programme has disclosed that responsibility for deporting such labour lies with the recruitment offices, which have brokered in their hiring within 90 days of their arrival in the kingdom, Okaz said.

During the trial period, the recruitment office is committed to deporting the worker in the stated case and refunding the recruitment fees from which a sum of money equivalent to the work period already spent by the labour is deducted.

If the office refuses to comply, the employer is required to file a complaint via the Musaned platform for a follow-up to retrieve rights.

The programme explained that during the trial period, the beneficiary can prove the worker’s refusal to work through committees in charge of settling domestic labour disputes or by documentation from the licensee.

After the end of the 90-day trial period, responsibility for the worker devolves to the second party, i.e. the employer, as stipulated in the labour contracts.

Musaned also noted that beneficiaries could issue alternative recruitment visas without paying government fees in case of the worker’s final exit from the kingdom.

Saudi labour authorities have recently sought to regulate the domestic labour market.

To this end, the Musaned domestic labour programme has been launched to help customers learn about their rights and duties, and related services including visa issuance, recruitment requests and contractual relation between the employer and the worker.