JEDDAH: The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) is currently looking into 386 labor complaints submitted by foreign workers in the Kingdom. The organization has also again called for the sponsorship system to be abolished, according to a report it issued recently. It said 174 workers claim they are still owed money by their sponsors, 63 asked for the transfer of their Iqamas, 25 complained about being banned from traveling, 50 objected to their sponsors' decisions and 19 claim to have been dismissed illegally, according to a report carried by Al-Hayat Arabic daily. Dr. Hussein Al-Shareef, Supervisor General of the society's branch in Makkah, called for government ministries to deal with the grievances urgently. He said abolishing the sponsorship system and defining the responsibilities of employees and employers would protect workers from the trading taking place in Iqamas. He said most complaints lodged by the workers include employers holding on to their passports, failure to take the necessary legal procedures to renew their residence permits and refusal of employers to transfer their Iqamas. He said the NSHR checks the authenticity and credibility of the complaints before approaching the responsible authorities in Makkah. Earlier the branch had conducted a study based on the complaints received from foreign workers and the shortcomings and loopholes in the current Iqama system, including its complicated and undefined administrative procedures. He called for the introduction of an obligatory insurance system to guarantee the financial rights and benefits of the employee and employer. This would put an end to the Iqama system because the policy guarantees the rights of both parties. Al-Shareef also called for the creation of an official legal body or commission to oversee the working conditions of foreign workers in the Kingdom, to be based in Riyadh with branches all over the Kingdom.
