Free SIM card, airtime for new expat workers

RIYADH: The Ministry of Labor plans to provide all new expatriate workers free SIM cards and airtime so that they can contact their families, the ministry and their own embassies if required.
Expatriate workers in the Kingdom welcomed the ministry’s decision on Monday, saying it would help ensure new workers feel less helpless when they arrive in the Kingdom.
A Labor Ministry official said here on Monday that the facility would be launched gradually at the country’s international airports. “The SIM card will include free calling minutes and messages so that expatriate workers can communicate with their families and loved ones and the embassies of their countries in the Kingdom,” the official said.
The free cards would also allow these workers to call the ministry for information or guidance, through the customer services facility that is provided in several foreign languages, the official said. The move is to ensure that the rights of all workers are protected when they arrive in the Kingdom, the official said.
Zafar Hasan, a software engineer in Riyadh, welcomed the move saying it would help newcomers if they have any difficulties at the airport. They would then be able to contact officials at their embassies, he said.
Saquib Hamza, an expatriate worker from Dammam, praised the ministry for introducing the initiative, saying it would allow them to contact their families and learn about their rights from labor officials.