Labor Ministry raid exposes expat performing double duty

Riyaddh :  Labor inspectors carrying out routine inspection visits to telecom shops tracked down an expatriate who was doing double duty.

The man was performing duties completely different from one another. He worked as a full-time employee at a firm and took up another job at a telecom outlet after his regular work hours, according to a ministry statement.

The inspectors, accompanied by public security personnel, this week carried out visits to a number of telecom complexes in Makkah, Madinah, Asir and Eastern Province.

The inspection campaigns targeted 900 facilities and uncovered many residency and labor law violations, mostly of Articles 38 and 39 of the Labor Law.

Article 38 bans an employer from employing a worker in a profession other than one specified in his work permit. Before following the legal procedures for changing the profession, a worker is prohibited to engage in a profession other than the one mentioned on his work permit.

Article 39 bans an employer from allowing his worker to work for others or on his own account.

The inspection campaigns aim at ensuring that employers abide by decisions that regulate the labor market, curb malpractice and protect stakeholders (citizens, law-abiding employers) from negative phenomena leading to abnormalities in the market.

Moreover, the inspectors expose workers who violate the labor regulations, leaving an adverse impact on the national security and economy.

The ministry emphasized that it will not lose momentum to tightly monitor the employment of foreign labor and detect violators of its stipulations. It emphasized zero tolerance of labor law violations and warned of legal measures against any violators.

The ministry called for the cooperation of citizens and employers and urged them to report any labor violation by contacting the customer service number 19911.