Al-Hayat newspaper

We do not have any statistics about the percentage of companies that do not pay the salaries of employees on time. It is clear that some companies do delay the salaries of expatriate employees. However, we should not generalize and say that all companies do not protect the rights of employees. Some countries have taken advantage of this negative stereotype and use it to apply pressure on Saudi authorities. Of course, they do that to protect the rights of their citizens. In fact, it is their duty to protect the rights of their nationals.

Speaking of rights, why has the Ministry of Labor not taken into consideration the rights of employers, especially when an employee refuses to work or runs away.

To resolve the issue of delayed salaries, the ministry and the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) have agreed to issue bankcards to domestic workers that they can use to withdraw their salaries directly from ATMs. The bankcard is linked to the sponsor’s bank account and can only be issued if the sponsor signs an agreement with the bank and is physically present at the bank when the card is issued. Of course, the agreement works in the interests of banks, not the sponsor or employee.

I believe there is a simpler solution to this problem: Banks should allow domestic workers to open accounts themselves without the approval or presence of sponsors. Domestic workers are legally resident in the Kingdom and hold resident permits.

However, banks do not support such solutions because they are looking for profits with fewer costs. They do not want to open bank accounts for domestic workers and that is why the Ministry of Labor and SAMA decided to link the issuing of bankcards for domestic workers to the sponsor’s approval. The bank deducts SR95 every year in VAT. If banks opened current accounts for domestic workers, then they would not be able to charge any additional fees.

Some banks have also closed the current accounts of domestic workers that were opened before the decision of linking the issuance of bankcards to sponsors was reached. These banks have asked domestic workers to get approval from their sponsors to continue using their accounts.

In conclusion, it can be said that the countries of origin of expatriate workers protect the rights of their citizens while SAMA has brought in more income for banks and the ministry has protected the rights of employees but has overlooked the rights of employers and citizens.