HR organisation calls for scrapping sponsorship

National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), a Saudi Arabian rights organisation, called for scrapping the kafala system (sponsorship system) in the Arab state and limiting the relationship between the employer and worker to the contract only.
If the sponsorship is cancelled, the workers can change their employers through terminating their contracts, reported Saudi-based English daily Arab News yesterday.
The Saudi government last month declared a three-month general amnesty for illegal migrants.
In NSHR's regular meeting, Mufleh Al-Qahtani, president of NSHR, said positive aspects of the decision include regulating the labour market, reducing the security and social danger by correcting the expatriates' situations, allowing expatriates who did not get their iqama renewed to shift sponsorship to another employer without previous employer's approval and creating more jobs for Saudis.
“But the sudden enforcement of the decision will result in an increase in the manpower cost which will, of course, increase prices. It will also delay the deadlines for infrastructure projects,” he said.
On the recent inspection campaign by the labour ministry in this regard, he said it has created disturbance in the labour market.
Al-Qahtani said the campaign came at a time when there are not enough detention centres for illegal workers and the available ones do not meet the requirements of human rights.
Abdul Rahman Al-Haijan, NSHR member, said, “There should be an amendment to the ministry's by-law to prevent it from entering any company without prior notice.”