Saudi Arabia Changes Labor Rules for All New Workers From Pakistan

Riyadh and Islamabad have agreed to new labor rules for the recruitment of Pakistani workers, which prevents Pakistanis with a criminal record from being recruited in Saudi Arabia.

According to details, the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, and the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development signed the agreement.

The agreement seeks to hire labor from Pakistan to work in Saudi Arabia on regular basis and regulate their contractual relationship in order to protect the rights of both the employers and the workers.

Responsibilities of Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis

In accordance with the agreement, the ministry of Overseas Pakistanis will be responsible for the following:

1. Make sure that the recruited worker complies with the health requirements and is free of any contagious disease which shall be proved with thorough medical examinations by reliable Pakistani medical institutes.
2. Ascertain that the worker does not have any criminal record.
3. The worker has to be trained at specialized institutes or centers.
4. In addition, they must be informed of the terms and conditions of the employment contract and also about the traditions and customs of Saudi Arabia.
5. Instruct the worker to adhere to the laws, etiquettes, customs, and codes of conduct that are in effect during their stay in Saudi Arabia.
6. Encourage the worker to fulfill the clauses of their labor contracts.
7. Taking the required steps to enable the worker to arrive in Saudi Arabia within a month of acquiring the visa and to facilitate the worker to return in case of a violation of the contract’s terms.

Responsibilities of the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development

Meanwhile, the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has to ensure the following six major responsibilities under the agreement:

1. The recruitment and employment of the workers must be in accordance with the clauses in the agreement and the applicable laws, rules, and regulations.
2. Ensure protection of rights of the workers in the Kingdom in line with the applicable laws, rules, and regulations.
3. Assisting the employer in opening a bank account in the workers’ names so that they can deposit their monthly wage as specified in the employment contract.
4. Make sure to place a system that offers assistance to the workers around the clock.
5. Expediting the resolution of labor contract disputes and other labor-related issues that have been produced before the Saudi authorities and courts.
6. Provide assistance in the issuance of final exit visas so that the workers can return to their home country at the end of the contract’s term, in circumstances of emergency, or if the necessity arises.

Other Clauses in the Agreement

Additionally, another clause mentions establishing a joint technical committee chaired by high-level representatives from both countries to periodically review and monitor the implementation of the agreement, and mutually arrange rotating consultative meetings in both countries.

Furthermore, the committee will be authorized to devise sub-committees that will regularly meet to deliberate issues resulting from this agreement. In addition to that, the committee may make appropriate recommendations to settle disputes that arise from the implementation and interpretation of the clauses or make changes in the agreement whenever required.

Moreover, the settlement of any disputes over the clauses would be carried out between the two parties through diplomatic channels.

However, if either party is willing to amend or revise any of the clauses, it has to be done with the consent of the other party and in line with the laws that are in effect in both countries. The amendment or revision must become effective from the date it was agreed upon and each party will have to notify the other party in writing through diplomatic channels in order to complete the procedures that require local clearance. It is to be noted that the agreement would become effective from the date of the last notification.

Validity Period of the Agreement

As for the validity period of the agreement, it shall stay valid for a period of five years and it will be automatically renewable for a similar period or periods unless the other party desires to terminate it. The terminating party has to inform the other party about termination two months prior to the agreement expiry date.