Scrapping of sponsorship system is not easy, says Saudi minister

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Labour Minister Dr Abdul Wahid Al Humaid said that it is not easy to scrap the current sponsorship system considering the circumstances prevailing in the Kingdom.

He attributed this mainly to the huge amount of money spent by sponsors for the recruitment of foreign workers.

“Also, the Ministry of Labour is not the only body deciding on the important matter. However, we are working out a mechanism to ensure the protection of the rights of both sponsors and their employees,” he told reporters yesterday.

Al Humaid was responding to calls to abolish the sponsorship system which has placed Saudi Arabia on the defensive position with regards to its human rights record.
It was reported that the Ministry of Labour has been working closely with the National Human Rights Society to come up with a scheme to replace the current sponsorship system.

One of the suggestions was that workers will be placed under the government’s sponsorhip until an alternate system is adopted.