If people wonder why things often take quite some time to get done, then they would have to understand the psyche of our bureaucrats who time and time again spring novel ideas on how not to get something done.
In Saudi Arabia, one such idea that has been bouncing around for quite some time has been the employment of women at retail shops that sell primarily female products such as women clothing, perfume and lingerie. Trust our bureaucrats to expedite the proposal that for all purposes had been approved at the highest levels.
Recently, representatives from the Ministry of Labour and the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) met to discuss ways to speed up women's employment in lingerie and cosmetics shops. The committee meeting was attended by the Labour ministry's assistant undersecretary for development, members of the JCCI and owners of women's fashion shops. Such a meeting triggered memories of past meetings relating to the same issue.
Now hopefully this last meeting promises something different. The JCCI deputy chairwoman stated that the discussions in the meeting were aimed at removing the hurdles in the way of implementing the recent government order to employ only women in shops that sell women's clothes. Well, nothing new, as this subject has been tabled long enough among several government bodies for close to a decade. According to the representatives of the Labour Ministry, the discussions also centred on steps that need to be taken to ensure that employers create a favourable work atmosphere for women in shops. Punishments for those who refuse to cooperate in employing women was agreed to, without specifying what the punishment was, exactly how the punishment was going to be meted out and just who was going to do the punishing.
Security system
Also emerging from this committee was the disclosure that no special permit from the Ministry of Labour or any other agency was required to employ Saudi women in such shops. And then it was down to specifics of the work place. The inside of shops where women work should not be visible from outside and men should not be allowed to enter them. However, if a shop allowed families (meaning husband and wife) entry, then the view to the interior from outside should not be blocked or restricted.
Male and female workers should not work in close proximity of each other unless the establishment had separate and independent divisions for each gender.
And for the protection of the female workforce, there should be a security guard or electronic security system in place in the shop particularly if the shop is standing alone or part of a commercial complex without any special security measures. This is in line with Labour Ministry regulations which also stipulate that retail shops that employ women must ensure toilet facilities for their workers, and that the workers should dress moderately and in accordance with Sharia laws. The committee members also discussed issues relating to work agreements and contracts for workers in these businesses.
One must remember that such discussions are nothing new. Back in 2004, the Labour Ministry, after serious study announced bold plans to create more employment opportunities for women. In his announcement, the Labour Minister at the time, the late Dr Gazi Al Gosaibi had set up a committee to study this important issue and added, "In coordination with other government departments, the group will conduct a survey of shops selling women's accessories." Very little of what the committee had discussed or agreed to or decided to implement ever came out. In 2006, the decision by the Ministry of Labour based on an earlier cabinet decree to restrict jobs in lingerie shops to women and increase job opportunities was postponed. The law which was scheduled to go into effect in June of that year, never materialised. As an explanation, the Minister of Labour was quoted as saying: "based on the plea by shop owners…that they were unable to comply with the deadline, the ministry's decision is postponed until all required preparations are finalised." Meanwhile, according to news reports at the time, over 10,000 women who had applied for this new opportunity, were taken in by the sudden back-pedalling of the ministry and left out in a lurch.
Would this be more of the same? Bureaucrats re-inventing the timeless wheel, while the reality of getting our women employed in shops that sell lingerie and other female products remain lingering in the horizon. Is it the Labour Ministry? Is it the JCCI? Or is it the shop owners themselves who simply do not want to be saddled with the added expense of catering to a female work-force. The buck doesn't seem to stop anywhere. Meanwhile our bureaucrats continue to justify their posts, while countless women loiter in search of employment.
Tariq A. Al Maeena is a Saudi socio-political commentator. He lives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
