Ibrahim Mohammed Badawood
The holiday and pilgrimage seasons are considered the most important times of the year, especially for people with low incomes. Many, regardless of whether they are employees or students, are keen to seize the opportunity to work for organizations that need seasonal employees. They aim to complement their incomes and pay for basic needs, such as rent.
The Ministry of Labor has established a few regulations for seasonal jobs. Those working such jobs should be at least 18 years of age and working hours should not exceed more than 10 hours a day or 60 hours a week. In addition, regulations state that employees should not work more than five consecutive hours without a break and that they are entitled to breaks for food and prayer. During the last Haj, the ministry also gave 86 companies, mainly in Makkah, 60 visas to bring in employees for seasonal jobs.
Seasonal jobs, especially during the Haj, are very hard for citizens. Some undertake these duties in addition to their normal jobs while others take time off from work to do these seasonal jobs.
However, there is a problem in getting paid for seasonal jobs. This payment can be delayed for months or sometimes a year. The reason for this delay is that most contracts are verbal and unwritten even though they are accredited by the Wages Protection Program. The Ministry of Labor approved this program to monitor the payment of wages for workers in the private sector and to create a database that includes updated information about them. The private sector implemented this program a few years ago, but it must be utilized properly. The same mechanism must be adopted by all organizations to make sure that workers are being paid. I keep hearing the same complaints regarding delayed wages and employees being given false promises.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Give the employee his wages before his sweat dries.” Unfortunately, some people do not only delay wages, but also fail to pay.
