RIYADH — Minister of Labor Mufrij Al-Haqbani launched here on Monday an online legal labor consultation service to acquaint workers and employers with their rights and duties. Speaking on the occasion, Al-Haqbani said the new service, titled "Mustasharak Al-Ummali" (Your Labor Consultant), is part of the ministry's obligation to ensure justice and transparency in line with the directive of the State's leadership. "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, and Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman are very keen to improve the services being extended to workers, employers and jobseekers. That's why many new services have been launched," he was quoted as saying by the Saudi Press Agency. The new service, which was launched in the Arabic and English languages, will be made available in other major languages later. Under the service, legal consultants at the ministry will clarify the doubts and address the queries of workers, employers and jobseekers. Clients can ask anything related to their rights and duties, such as provisions of the Labor Law with regard to labor contracts, end of service benefits, procedures to end work contracts, work hours, holidays and vacations, work conditions for women, training and rehabilitation of Saudi jobseekers etc. Al-Haqbani said the ministry sees the new service as a legal and professional duty to ensure justice in line with the provisions of the Labor Law, and continuing the ministry's vigorous electronic service drive to enhance the awareness of workers and employers about various provisions of the Labor Law and the latest amendments to it. The minister also spoke about a variety of newly launched services, including video call service to boost interaction between the ministry and its clients from different regions, setting up of mobile branches of Human Resources Development Fund (HADAF) to offer services at the doorstep of clients, and supporting jobseekers through job alerts, training and orientation programs. The launching ceremony was also attended by Ahmad Al-Humaidan, deputy minister of labor; Abdurahman Al-Zamil, president of the Saudi Council of Chambers; and Ziyad Al-Sayegh, undersecretary at the ministry for customer services and workers' relations. Al-Sayegh said the clients can benefit from the new service by choosing the service of "Mustasharak Al-Ummali at the ministry's website (www.laboreducation.gov.sa). After furnishing personal information, clients can send queries. Replies will be sent online within three working days. He said that the ministry had received 2,615 queries, including 2,435 in Arabic, and 180 in English, during the experimental period of the service that started in Nov. 2015. Legal experts answered all these queries, he said, adding that a total of 1,458 Saudis and 1,104 expatriates benefited.
