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[nomad soul]

Firms with 500 workers now covered by Wage Protection System
Arab News | 31 October 2014
Source: http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/652866

JEDDAH--The Ministry of Labor will begin implementing the fourth stage of the wage protection system (WPS) for companies with 500 employees or more, starting next week. The undersecretary of the Ministry of Labor for Inspection and Development of the Work Environment, Abdullah Abuthonin, said the ministry allows each company in the private sector to register in the new program before the mandatory implementation stage, giving them enough time to organize themselves. Abuthonin said the ministry is following up on the previous stages that were already implemented, and will report on outcomes. He called on all companies to register with the program as soon as possible, including companies that have been shut down in order to lift their suspensions. He said the aim of the ministry is to ensure wages are paid on time, and that the ministry will continue to monitor the program through inspections.

The WPS is an online database that is updated by employers with wage information for their employees in the private sector. The program ensures agreed amount of wages are paid in a timely manner by comparing data available at the Ministry of Labor with reports delivered by local banks.

The undersecretary of the Ministry of Labor declared that the first, second and third phases were applied to companies with work forces of 3,000, 2,000 and 1,000 employees or more, amounting to 731 facilities and more than 1.9 million workers. With regard to private schools, he said 55 percent of about 1,301 schools have registered and have been committed to the programs. Schools that failed to comply with the programs have had services stopped.

Companies that fail to provide personnel data within two months of the implementation date will have services cut off by the Ministry, with the exception of work permit renewals. Companies that are more than three months behind schedule will have all services suspended, and workers will be permitted to transfer their services to other facilities without obtaining the consent of their current employers, even if their work permits have not expired.

(End of article)

[scot47]

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http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=108986

[nomad soul]

Ministry plans curbs on transfer of sponsorship
Saudi Gazette report | 17 Februaru 2015
Source: http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20150218234226

RIYADH — In a move to further tighten the noose on the so-called visa trade, the Ministry of Labor unveiled plans to introduce restrictions on the sponsorship transfer of expatriates arriving on work visas, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday. The ministry will soon set a limit on the number of workers that each firm is permitted to transfer within 12 months of recruitment. Those firms which violate the regulations in this regard will be barred from transferring the sponsorship of their workers for a period of 12 months, according to Taysir Al-Mofrej, director of the media center at the ministry.

Al-Mofrej said that it came to the notice of the ministry that a large number of firms hired expatriate workers and then transferred their sponsorship to other firms within a few months. He said these firms were trying to mislead the ministry with false information so as to trade in work visas. However, Al-Mofrej said a certain number of transfers will be allowed in view of some humanitarian and other considerations. “Some workers may not be fit for the job for which they were originally hired, and in other cases workers may not be able to cope with the working conditions, or there may be some other factors, including humanitarian reasons,” he said.

The ministry urged employers, employees and others concerned to submit their proposals and suggestions with regard to this issue on the ministry’s portal. Al-Mofrej said that there will be an exemption for the transfer of sponsorship for contractors of government projects.

(End of article)

[currentaffairs]

In practical terms, what is the latest from the frontline? I am hearing a few different things..

Someone said that the iqama transfer only applies if you are still in Saudi and not if you have left. Is this true?

Has any teacher been through the process of transferring their iqama over to a new employer in the last few weeks/months? Do you have to contact your old employer or do the powers that be do that?