JEDDAH: The National Society of Human Rights (NSHR) has presented a proposal to higher authorities to abolish the sponsorship system and replace it with a government commission to look after guest workers.
Bandar Al-Hajjar, president of NSHR, accused the Passport Department of delaying the cancellation of the sponsorship system, adding that the Council of Ministers had approved the plan eight years ago. “We have presented an 80-page study on the topic to higher authorities,” the NSHR chief said, adding that copies of the study have been given to the Ministries of Interior and Labor and other related ministries.
The NSHR also proposed a mandatory insurance scheme to protect the rights of employers and foreign workers. It took four years for the organization to prepare the study in the light of international experiments.
Al-Hajjar said the abolition of sponsorship system would solve many problems including disputes between workers and their employers. “We have received 1,430 cases related to labor disputes and this represents 12 percent of the total cases we have received so far,” he added.
“The present system restricts workers’ freedom as they have to get the sponsor’s permission for every activity. Even to get out of prison, the sponsor should be present,” he said explaining the negative aspects of the current system that violates international charters. Many foreign skilled workers are not ready to come to Saudi Arabia because of the sponsorship system, which affects the Kingdom’s international reputation.
Under the new system, passports of workers would not be kept by employers; a worker would not need the permission of an employer to bring his family or apply for a Haj permit, or bring his relatives on visit visas, and deal with public organizations or companies or individuals, Al-Hajjar said. “An employer would not be responsible for any actions of the employee outside work,” he added.
Al-Hajjar did not agree with shifting sponsorship from individuals to specialized companies. “We are totally against the sponsorship system whether it is companies or individuals,” he told reporters. He said the Cabinet appointed a ministerial committee in 1999 to revise the sponsorship system.
Mufleh Al-Qahtani, vice president of NSHR, said the insurance scheme was proposed to ensure the rights of both parties in a balanced manner. “It will ensure payment of salaries, end-of-service benefits and tickets and expenses of lawyers, in case of dispute,” he said.
Asked what would be the benefit of sponsors in the new insurance scheme, Al-Hajjar said it would protect them from those workers who try to steal or swindle their money or cause damage to their business.
Speaking about the government commission for labor affairs, Al-Hajjar said, it would be an independent body under the Ministry of Labor. Based in Riyadh, it would have branches in all of the Kingdom’s 13 provinces.
The commission would be responsible for all matters related to foreign workers. It would organize the labor market, propose policies related to foreign manpower, coordinate with foreign countries on labor recruitment and ensure quality of foreign workers and present solutions to their problems.
Al-Qahtani said the NSHR demanded the abolition of the sponsorship system after it received several complaints from both Saudis and expatriates. “We don’t see any real benefit from the present sponsorship system either for the workers or for their employers,” he said.
