Labor panel for women proposed

An employment expert has called for a labor committee with clear regulations specialized in resolving disputes between employers and women employees. Salah Al-Balali, head of Tawteen Company, said the committee would aim to maintain women's labor rights, adding that many women employees were worried about not having a committee to deal with their labor disputes. The committee is needed, as issues have come up with the employment of women in the private sector, and they will continue to come up, he said. He expected to witness a large increase in women employment in the private sector next year, as more women are seeking jobs and there are more job opportunities.
He said the government’s four decisions concerning women employment enabled them to work in certain fields for the first time.
He warned from “improper” implementation of these decisions, which may unfairly increase workloads for women or lead to improper environment for them to work.
Minister of Labor Adel Fakeih recently said that next year, more women would be employed. According to him, many businessmen are happy with the recruitment of only women in certain jobs, such as lingerie shops. The women employees achieved more sales, more profits, and better service quality, as consumers are comfortable dealing with them.
“Last year, 50,000 women were employed. This is several times the number in previous years,” said the minister.
Fakeih said it is necessary to increase the rate of women employment, which is five times less than that of men. Of those registered in the Hafiz unemployment program, 85 percent are women. He said his ministry implemented the decision to increase salaries for private school teachers to SR5,600, which aims to attract women university graduates. The ministry also provides job opportunities at factories, where women can be hired as supervisors and in the management, adding that some factories are now fully operated by women.
The ministry recently issued four decisions regulating the women’s work clothes in abaya and accessories shops, family recreational facilities, retail shops, and restaurant kitchens.