The Labor Office in Jeddah is looking into accusations from 163 sacked employees that their previous employer, the company contracted to operate King Abdul Aziz Hospital, has committed a number of labor and administrative violations. They claim the company committed six violations including not abiding by Saudization quotas, signing illegal contracts, not implementing social insurance and sponsorship regulations for non-Saudis, and non-compliance with employment contracts used to attract qualified people. The former employees also claim that the contractor is not committed to the hospital, employees and patients. Qussay Filali, Director of the Labor Office in Makkah Region, confirmed that investigations are under way into the allegations. If the claims are proven to be true, action will be taken against the company, he said. A number of the sacked employees told Okaz that the hospital allegedly appointed non-Saudis into top positions. They claim that the majority of Saudis work in lower ranks and for less money. They said that they want the Labor Office “to find urgent solutions for our crisis by exposing the irregularities of the operating company and to investigate all the violations of the regulations. The company should be taken to task. All we want is to be reinstated and for our salaries to be paid until the case is decided”. They pointed out that the current regulations allow all the sacked employees to be employed at the hospital. They said their files can confirm their skills and performance. They claim that the hospital administration and officials at the Directorate of Health Affairs have refused to listen to their complaints or to intervene to solve the crisis with the operating company. This is despite the hospital's departments needing many employees to operate effectively. They claim that work in these departments has come to a standstill. Saudi Gazette reported previously that the employees filed an unfair dismissal lawsuit with the Board of Grievances on Sunday, June 20. Ali Al-Aqla, lawyer and legal adviser, argued that it is illegal to terminate the services of these employees, as stipulated by the regulations issued by the Ministry of Labor in terms of a royal decree. “The arbitrary firing of employees by the operating company is a violation of regulations. The employees should be reinstated and compensated for the harm caused by the termination decision. Those affected should file a lawsuit against the company at the Labor Office, which would refer the case to the Committee for Resolving Labor Violations. The hospital has nothing to do with the case since it has a contract with the company.” In a letter to the Directorate of Health Affairs, the Director of King Abdul Aziz Hospital, Dr. Muhammad Bakhsh, said there was an urgent need to have current employees cover staff shortages in some areas of the hospital until this situation of staff vacancies can be resolved by appointments approved by the Ministry of Health.
