MAKKAH — The head of the catering committee at Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) said 30 companies have said that they will not be able to provide catering services during the coming Haj season as they cannot secure enough temporary labor. Shaker Al-Harthi explained these companies have sent an urgent telegram to the minister of commerce stating that the lack of temporary workers during the Haj season will not allow them to provide the required services. He noted that MCCI was previously responsible for receiving temporary Haj visas, but this role was transferred to the Ministry of Commerce. This ministry then refers the requests for visas to the Ministry of Labor, which will provide temporary workers through recruitment companies. He pointed out that hiring temporary workers from recruitment offices would simply increase catering companies' costs by about 50 percent, which would then be passed onto pilgrims. "This is against government directives to control and reduce costs for pilgrims and to provide low-cost Haj pilgrimages," he said. Al-Harthy noted that recruitment offices might not have enough workers to satisfy the catering companies' requirements. In addition, such workers are not properly trained to provide efficient services to the pilgrims. "This will simply subject companies to violations and penalties due to any deficiencies in services offered to pilgrims," he said. He added that previously MCCI used to recruit workers from the same countries of the pilgrims they serve, as they already know the traditions, culture and type of food required. He asked the Ministry of Commerce to revert to the previous recruitment mechanism and hand over control back to the chamber. Al-Harthy explained that asking companies to hire temporary workers is against a Cabinet directive issued three months ago stating that labor offices in Makkah and Madinah are entrusted with issuing seasonal visas.
