Riyadh: Expatriates may breathe a sigh of relief as Ministry of Labour has given them right to transfer sponsorship if their salaries are delayed for more than three months.
According to a report in Arabic daily Okaz, Minister of Labour Mufrij Al-Haqbani said his ministry has received many complaints against employers who have delayed salary payments.
Al-Haqbani said, "We have activated the video call service which enables employees and workers to directly reach me. We have implemented the service in Jeddah, Rafhaa and Al-Dwadmi. The service is a part of the ministry’s plan to facilitate the interaction between employees and the ministry."
The video calling service was activated in October. He said, “Callers can reach the minister or other officials in the ministry by calling customer service at 19911. Employers and employees no longer need to visit the main labour office in Riyadh to have their inquiries answered and paperwork processed.”
The Kingdom offers more than 60 labour offices that provides the video calling service. He said, delaying employees’ salaries is a violation of Saudi Labour Law.
The report added, "Workers have the right to transfer their sponsorship if their sponsors delay their salaries for three months. The workers do not need the permission of the sponsor in such cases and can sue the sponsor for delaying the salary."
Going in detail about the law, he said sponsors would have to pay salary with compensation if the matter is taken to court. “The ministry prioritises the rights of the employees. The ministry is focusing its efforts on making more electronic services available. The move to a more digitalised ministry will improve the economy of the Kingdom and will expedite its development,” said Al-Haqbani.
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