Job Discussion Forums

dutchman · Joined: 10 Mar 2010 Posts: 84

The fact that certain Saudi employers discriminate against their employees and job applicants on the basis of their nationality is well-known. I was wondering whether I could lodge a complaint in the UK when a Saudi recruiter that has a branch in the UK openly discriminates on the basis of an applicant's nationality. A recruiter has recently advertised an advert on Dave's saying that they need 500 ESL instructors to work in Riyadh, Jeddah and Alkhobar. And they say on their website that MA holders from India, Pakistan and Malaysia get a base salary of 18K-22K$, and BA holders from the UK, US and other anglophone countries get 30K-38K$. They have a branch in Hove in the UK, and they claim to have a partnership with Exeter, Reading, Coventry and several other British universities. I was wondering what legal course of action I can take in the UK. Is there any governmental agency that I can report recruiters that openly discriminate in their hiring practices?

johnslat · Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 7:46 pm Post subject:

Dear dutchman,

Not totally sure about this, but I believe that as long as they don't discriminate regarding hiring WITHIN the UK, there nothing the IK authorities can do about it.

The UK can't police the hiring practices in Saudi Arabia.

Regards,
John

dutchman · Joined: 10 Mar 2010 Posts: 84

But if they operate in the UK, then they would be subject to the British law, even if they hire me for a Saudi institution. I live in the UK as well, and I would be applying for the job from within the UK.

johnslat · Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 9:28 pm Post subject:

Dear dutchman,

True, but you wouldn't be working in the UK. If a company in Saudi Arabia, say, advertises for a "secretary," they're not going to hire a women in the UK.

They operate in the UK - and, in their UK offices, they would have to follow UK laws regarding hiring. But the UK can't do anything to them for advertising jobs in OTHER countries where discrimination might be rife.

Regards,
John

Middle East Beast · Joined: 05 Mar 2008 Posts: 836 Location: Up a tree

I think this issue mirrors a potential discrimination charge when a company like BAE advertises for males only for jobs in KSA. They can do that because the work is in KSA and Saudi law allows it.

Someone correct me if I'm off base here.

MEB Cool

johnslat · Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 10:12 pm Post subject:

Dear MEB,

On base - I'd say.

Regards,
John

It's Scary! · Joined: 17 Apr 2011 Posts: 823

My little piece of the US government tried a tack that got it bit in the arse. They asked for volunteers to go to Saudi TDY, but one of the requirements was that the applicant had to be eligible for a Saudi driver's license.

That went over like a Led Zeppelin! Cool

It's Scary!

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Why? Was this the question to weed out the females? Cool

VS

It's Scary! · Joined: 17 Apr 2011 Posts: 823

"But, of course, Mon frere!"

It's Scary!

BadBeagleBad · Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 2:44 am Post subject:

caliph · Joined: 05 Jun 2006 Posts: 218 Location: Iceland

It's their country and they do as they wish. I doubt any western country that sells them defense and other industrial materials, and gets oil from them would make a fuss over an ESL instructor.

johnslat · Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 1:20 pm Post subject:

Dear BadBeagleBad,

True - "Congress has exempted religious institutions from much of Title VII's prohibition against employment discrimination on the basis of religion. Specifically, that prohibition does not apply to religious organizations "with respect to the employment of individuals of a particular religion to perform work connected with the carrying on by such [an organization] of its activities." 42 U.S.C. � 2000e-1. This exemption clearly makes Title VII inapplicable to Catholic schools when they discriminate by hiring and retaining Catholics in preference to non-Catholics. This case raises the more difficult question of whether Title VII applies to a Catholic school that discriminates against a non-Catholic because her conduct does not conform to Catholic mores. Because applying Title VII in these circumstances would raise substantial constitutional questions and because Congress did not affirmatively indicate that Title VII should apply in situations of this kind, we interpret the exemption broadly and conclude that Title VII does not apply."

although I - an agnostic - taught religion (among other subjects) at a parochial school in Santa Fe, NM (I just didn't tell them I was an agnostic, similar to how people fill out the "religion" section of Saudi employment applications.)

Regards,
John

BadBeagleBad · Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 1:44 pm Post subject:

The reason I know this is that I taught a Catholic school in the US. I am, in fact, a praticing Catholic, so it wasn�t a problem. In the school I worked at it wasn�t so much that they expected to behave according the Catholic mores, but because in the early years there was quite a bit of religious instruction, and I suppose it seemed to them that a non-Catholic might have a hard time with that.

johnslat · Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 3:10 pm Post subject:

Dear BadBeagleBad,

Well, as a "lapsed Catholic" (who had also spent two years in the seminary,) I was up on the dogma, but I did include a fair amount of "comparative religion" and "ethical/moral dilemmas" in my classes.

Regards,
John