Cairo: Saudi Arabia’s Shoura Council has approved an agreement to employ Thai workers in the kingdom earlier reached between the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and the Thai Ministry of Labour, a local newspaper has reported.
The pact is part of measures adopted by the two ministries to lay down a legal framework for Thais’ employment in Saudi Arabia, added Okaz.
The steps also aim to protect rights of workers and employers, regulate their contractual relation and devise follow-up and implementation mechanisms of the agreement.
Last March, both ministries signed two agreements on employing Thai labour and domestic workers in Saudi Arabia as part of efforts to develop ties between the two countries.
Also that month, Saudi Arabia lifted a ban on its citizens’ travel to Thailand amid growing ties between the two countries after they restored full diplomatic links earlier this year.
Around 200,000 Thai workers are expected to be hired annually in the kingdom, according to the Saudi Federation of Chambers.
In January, Saudi Arabia and Thailand agreed to fully restore diplomatic ties between the two countries and to exchange ambassadors for the first time in around 32 years.
The move was agreed during a landmark official visit by Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to Riyadh where he met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The Saudi national carrier, Saudia, also relaunched its flights between the kingdom and Thailand, carrying Thai Muslims to perform umrah or lesser pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
