Labor law violation: 18,773 companies face action

Jeddah, Sep 1: The Labor Ministry has slapped fines worth more than SR10 million on companies after its inspectors found 62,762 labor rule violations during raids carried out over the past nine months. In a report published Sunday, the ministry said its officials conducted more than 200,000 raids to nab violators of labor regulations.

The ministry caught 9,597 people working with employers other than their sponsors, 3,427 violations related to women’s employment at lingerie shops and 2,204 cases of midday work ban violations. “We have transferred 4,377 cases to the preliminary labor committees, 7,681 to the Interior Ministry and 89 to the nationalization panel,” said Abdullah Abuthnain, deputy minister for inspections.

The ministry has stopped services to 18,773 firms for not complying with nationalization conditions, he pointed out. As a result, expats working at these companies will not be able to renew their resident permits.