‘Schools not exempted from raids’

More than 3,200 private establishments were inspected during the first week since the crackdown on illegal workers began on Nov. 4, an official said.
“Officials from the Ministry of Labor inspected 3,220 establishments. They discovered 261 cases of labor violations in the first seven days of the inspection. Violations that were intercepted included 107 cases of expatriates working with employers other than their legal sponsors and 154 cases of Saudization regulation violations,” said Abdullah Abuthnain, undersecretary at the ministry, during an interview with Arab News.
Qassim achieved the highest percentage of inspection among the provinces, having covered 26 percent of its private establishments, while the lowest rate of 0.5 percent was recorded in the Tabuk province, Abuthnain said.
Abuthnain said that 836 establishments were inspected in Qassim province, 729 in the Eastern Province, 706 in Riyadh, 220 in Jazan, 201 in Makkah, 108 each in Madinah and Najran, 73 in Hail, 60 in the Northern Border Province, 59 in Al-Jouf, 54 in Baha, 51 in Asir and 15 in Tabuk.
The official added that the Ministry of Labor is allowed only to inspect offices and establishments, while the Ministry of Interior is tasked with inspecting squares and streets.
A team from the Ministry of Labor, supported by security officials from the Interior Ministry, check for labor regulations, while another team of Labor Ministry officials who are accompanied by governorate officials intercept violators of Saudization regulations, he said.
“Private or foreign schools, which include international schools, are not exempted from the regulations governing residence and labor laws in the Kingdom. Schools will be subjected to inspections just like any other establishment in the private sector,” Abuthnain said.
He said the seven-month amnesty period was sufficient even for school teachers.
He said, however, that the ministry did not wish to disrupt the school year and hoped for school administrations to abide by the rules.
The inspectors visiting schools are instructed to check school records to ensure that business activity within the school is legal.
“The ministry does not have the authority to arrest violators or destroy residency permits as rumors suggest,” he said.
“If inspectors detect violations, especially with regard to dependents working without being sponsored by the school, but are provided with proof that the legalization process is under way, the matter will be recorded in a statement. The inspectors will not take action until the subsequent visit a month later,” he said.
Violators who have not begun the legalization process at the time of the visit will be treated as such.
The official denied that the issuance of iqamas for English teachers to work at international schools was suspended. Schools can apply for visas, he said.