Saudi Arabia will allow domestic workers to switch jobs without their employer's consent, in an attempt to give more freedom to workers, the department for Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD) said on Wednesday.
Workers in Saudi Arabia will have the right to transfer their services if their original employer transfers them to another employer or company without the worker's consent, if the employer terminates the labour contract during the probation period, if there is a delay in paying wages for three consecutive months, failure to pick up the domestic worker from their port of arrival and if there is an existing unresolved official complaint by the domestic worker against the employer for mistreatment and violation of human rights.
The government is already working to transfer workers permits without the employer's consent in 10 cases where employees were not paid their salaries and were assigned potentially hazardous tasks.
Dr Awwad Alawwad, the Human Rights Commission (HRC) president and chairman of the National Committee to Combat Trafficking in Persons, said that the reforms are an example of new policies that provide millions of foreign workers in the kingdom increased job mobility, freedom of movement, and enhanced labour rights.
"This decision comes within the framework of the ministry's constant quest to develop its decisions and legislation to make the Saudi labour market attractive and in line with the best international markets," HRSD said.
Saudis have welcomed the news.
"I have seen employers use helpers at home and their personal businesses, working them overtime and do not care about their physical or mental health. I am really happy that domestic workers will get the right to switch jobs whenever they want and will not feel stuck with one employer," said Ayesha Sabie, a Saudi woman in Jeddah.
The new law aims to preserve the rights of employers, by regulating the domestic labour market and hopes to improve the contractual relationship to help raise efficiency and flexibility of recruitment.
"We have suffered for many years being under the sponsorship of one employer and we were not allowed to change jobs because our iqama [resident permit] was under them. This is great news, now no one has to endure suffering or abuse from anyone and can move with dignity to another job whenever they want," Mary Abdullah, a helper from the Philippines who works in Jeddah, told The National.
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Name: Marie Byrne
Nationality: Irish
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption
Book: Seagull by Jonathan Livingston
Life lesson: A person is not old until regret takes the place of their dreams
Results
Female 49kg: Mayssa Bastos (BRA) bt Thamires Aquino (BRA); points 0-0 (advantage points points 1-0).
Female 55kg: Bianca Basilio (BRA) bt Amal Amjahid (BEL); points 4-2.
Female 62kg: Beatriz Mesquita (BRA) v Ffion Davies (GBR); 10-2.
Female 70kg: Thamara Silva (BRA) bt Alessandra Moss (AUS); submission.
Female 90kg: Gabreili Passanha (BRA) bt Claire-France Thevenon (FRA); submission.
Male 56kg: Hiago George (BRA) bt Carlos Alberto da Silva (BRA); 2-2 (2-0)
Male 62kg: Gabriel de Sousa (BRA) bt Joao Miyao (BRA); 2-2 (2-1)
Male 69kg: Paulo Miyao (BRA) bt Isaac Doederlein (USA); 2-2 (2-2) Ref decision.
Male 77kg: Tommy Langarkar (NOR) by Oliver Lovell (GBR); submission.
Male 85kg: Rudson Mateus Teles (BRA) bt Faisal Al Ketbi (UAE); 2-2 (1-1) Ref decision.
Male 94kg: Kaynan Duarte (BRA) bt Adam Wardzinski (POL); submission.
Male 110kg: Joao Rocha (BRA) bt Yahia Mansoor Al Hammadi (UAE); submission.
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
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Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
Company%20profile
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Specs%20
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
