By Abdulrahman Al-Misbahi

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH – Plans are afoot to grant factories licenses for housing workers inside the factory premises to ensure continuous production. The process is underwayin cooperation with the ministries of industry and health, the Director General of the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON) Khalid Al-Salim said recently.

MODON and the two ministries aim to determine the safety and environmental criteria, check the dimensions of the rooms for housing workers and sterilization mechanism to be implemented.

Al-Salim expects the competent authorities to approve then plan this week.

During a virtual meeting with businessmen and businesswomen convened by Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) recently, Al-Salim said: “The objective for housing workers inside the factories is to reduce movement and issuance of permits for workers’ mobility (during curfew hours), contribute to continuity of work and production in factories. Staying in factories is better than at other places, like houses.”

Al-Salim announced that the Minister of Industry (and Mineral Resources Bandar Al-Khorayef) recently held a meeting with the related authorities to exempt a number of specialist industrial sectors from the ban on mobility during curfew hours. They are also studying the possibility of granting MODON electronic powers to grant factories exemptions from the curfew decision.

He added that discussions were going on to allow contractors to work in operation and building. He explained that if the contractors stop working, then the factories specializing in building material will also stop working.

The MODON chief expects factories to receive support, if the crisis continues and these factories are harmed, especially since some of them cannot bear the impact of the crisis.

He stressed that the state was keen that the factories should continue production, especially since the food and pharmaceutical factories have greater responsibility during the current crisis.

Al-Salim said MODON has supported local factories that have been granted operation licenses till the end of 2020, at the rate of 25 percent of the financial support for rents.

The government has also supported the factories impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, by delaying payment of the “Al-Muqaabil Al-Maali” (workers’ fees) to the government for a period of three months.

The government has extended the operation licenses for productive factories for an additional period, until the end of 2020. It has also extended the period for construction and beginning production for one additional year, while exempting them from contracts amendment fees for the current year.