Saudi Gazette report RIYADH – The Ministry of Labor said here on Saturday that it does not intend to carry out raids by female inspectors at homes. It urged residents not to allow anyone impersonating as Ministry of Labor inspectors to enter homes. Ministry of Labor spokesman Hattab Al-Enizi said that inspection teams have been divided into three units: The first comprises the Ministry of Interior inspectors authorized to check residency violations, the second is that of the Ministry of Labor concerned with labor law violations, and the third will be the teams belonging to governorates to check Saudization percentage. According to the Council of Ministers decision, the Ministry of Labor will inspect firms and refer violations to the Ministry of Interior for action. Al-Enizi said inspectors will have to show their identity cards to employers prior to inspections. Today (Nov. 3) is the last day of amnesty for thousands of illegal expatriate workers to correct their status. Nearly a million Bangladeshis, Filipinos, Indians, Nepalis, Pakistanis and Yemenis, among others, have taken advantage of the three-month amnesty — announced on April 3 and then extended for four months – and left the country. Another roughly four million have legalized their situation by finding employers to sponsor them. But the clock is ticking, and the Labor Ministry has said there will be no second chance. “We have absolutely no intention of prolonging the amnesty,” said ministry spokesman Al-Enizi. Economist Abu Dahesh said illegal workers who were still needed by their employers had had their papers legalized, while the rest were rejected. “They represented an oversupply,” he said. Economist Ihsan Bu-Hulaiga echoed that, saying “this labor force is marginal in terms of skills and qualifications; the Saudi economy will not be affected by their departure.” But the exodus could create a shortage of day laborers, particularly in construction and portering. Speaking at one of the many public squares in Riyadh where men used to gather and wait to be chosen, Pakistani Hafezudin Shah said “hundreds of men used to be available at this spot.” “Now, there are no more than 20.” Shah is among the lucky ones who found a new sponsor in a process that cost him SR10,000. But Ethiopian Suleiman Ahmed's dreams were shattered. “I paid SR20,000 to a sponsor, and he disappeared. That ruined me, and I will have to leave,” he said. Those who are caught face jail terms and fines of SR100,000, as well as being blacklisted. Meanwhile, many expats said that they will even avoid going to baqalas and bufias from Monday for fear of being mistook as part-time workers if a raid takes place. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez was quoted as saying by the Inquirer that a total of 4,371 Filipinos had been repatriated from Jeddah and Riyadh as of Oct. 30 while some 1,500 were still awaiting immigration clearances to fly home.
