RIYADH — Last month, the Labor Relations Department at the Riyadh Labor Office, an affiliate of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development branch in Riyadh Province completed the procedures for 132 requests to cancel absenteeism reports "most of them maliciously filed by the worker", after verifying their authenticity, and 1,173 final exit requests for expiry of residency permits (iqamas), in coordination with the Expatriates Department, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said Thursday.

The branch of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development in Riyadh Province stated that the Labor Relations Department was able, during the past two years, to reduce the number of absenteeism reports by 70 percent, compared to the previous period, by applying some controls in cooperation with the General Department for Filing Reports at the ministry.

It pointed out that the tasks of the Labor Relations Department are not restricted to receiving reports of absenteeism and dealing with them, but extends to collecting and clearing the deceased worker’s entitlements, to employment and transferring the worker’s services without referring to the employer due to not attending the amicable settlement sessions, in addition to granting a work permit for the purpose of final exit in case of expiry of the residence permit (iqama) and granting a work permit while the employer, who is suspended from operating, will have to bear the fees.