The Labor Ministry’s awareness program “TARAF” (know) aims to shed light on the rights of both workers and employers.

In a bid to prevent worker rights violations in the Kingdom, the Ministry of Labor launched an exclusive Web portal last month to educate employers about their rights and rules governing the relationship between both parties.

The maiden program, “TARAF” (know) mainly targeted at employers was launched in Jeddah on Tuesday by Abdul Monem Al-Shahri, director of the Labor Ministry in the Makkah region. “We want to educate employers about their responsibilities toward their employees and have therefore launched this program to reach out to them,” he said in a statement.

It is hoped that the program will bridge the gap between employers and their employees in business organizations and safeguard the rights of both parties.

The director said in a statement that the Labor Ministry is also launching a massive awareness campaign through the social media and web portal of the ministry, where it can receive suggestions and complaints.

“We will intensify the publicity concerning employees’ rights through hoardings in 18 different locations in Jeddah including major shopping malls, the King Abdulaziz Airport and other public places,” Al Shahri said.

The ministry has also launched smart phone applications that contain workers’ rights and employers’ responsibilities. For more information, an e-mail can be sent to [email protected]

A cross-section of employees and employers has welcomed the initiative taken by the Labor Ministry. The ministry had earlier launched a similar campaign targeting employees last month.

“The campaign will help both employees and employers as it will create transparency between the parties about their rights,” said Faras Bana, human resources manager of a leading company. He added that it will help to prevent exploitation of either party.

“Such a move will certainly yield positive results in the long term as the ministry has taken the initiative to make people aware of their responsibilities,” said Hasan Al-Jafri, a Saudi employee.

Although the ministry has put out an English version of their web portal, it is not fully operational and expatriate workers were unable to access the information regarding their rights and responsibilities.

However, the Arabic version which can be accessed at www.laboreducation.gov.sa is functional and contains all the information.

 
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