Firms told to register with WPS

The Ministry of Labor called on private sector enterprises to immediately register with the Wage Protection System (WPS), the fourth phase of which was launched earlier this month.
The announcement came during a workshop held at the headquarters of the Asharqia Chamber in Dammam, which was attended by an official consultant of the Ministry of Labor for Inspection and Development of the Work Environment, Faisal Al-Otaibi, as well as the director of the WPS at the ministry, Ibrahim Nasser.
Al-Otaibi said employers should report to banks the number of bank accounts for all their workers, as well as ensure salary cards are issued to employees with no accounts. Employers must also prepare every month all the documentation of the wages to send to banks, and employees must receive a confirmation that wages have been paid.
Companies can access their accounts on the ministry’s website to upload their documented wage-payment file into the WPS portal, as well as to update any wage data on a monthly basis.
Al-Otaibi urged employers to make sure that the total wage of the workers is equal to the sum of the employee’s base salary plus housing, allowance and other necessities, minus deductions. He also noted that in case of an inaccuracy in the company’s wage files, the WPS will send an e-mail to the facility calling for a correction.
Companies that delay uploading the document for one month will be subject to a comprehensive inspection visit by the ministry. Businesses that are two months behind schedule will have all their services stopped except for the issuance and renewal of work permits, while companies that are three or more months delayed will have all services halted, and employees will be permitted to transfer their services to another employer without the consent of the current employer, even if the work permit is still in effect.
Al-Otaibi stressed the fact that the ministry will not hesitate to penalize those facilities that fail to adhere to WPS regulations.