United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia: The Minister of Immigration and Labour Extension of Saudi Arabia, Faisal Al- Atibi, has recently met with the Minister of Immigration and Egyptian Affairs Abroad, Soha Gendi, in Cairo, Egypt. The meeting aimed to discuss the rights and duties of the women in the country under the awareness campaign “Know your rights and be assured”.
On his part, Saudi Minister Al – Atibi clarified that women’s basic rights in the kingdom should be delivered and emphasized. On the other hand, Ambassador Soha Gendi stated, “Training and awareness are aimed to prevent any problems faced by Egyptian workers abroad”.
The reports stated that within the awareness campaign launched by Ambassador Soha Gendi, the Minister of State for Immigration and Egyptian Affairs Abroad, and Faisal Al-Atibi, the Saudi Labour Assistant in Cairo, entitled: “Know your right and be assured,” comes a series of videos targeting Egyptians who are going to work and residents in Saudi Arabia to define their rights and duties, according to the kingdom’s labour law.
For her part, Ambassador Soha Gendi, the Minister of Immigration, stressed the importance of the qualification and awareness of the immigration of workers in foreign markets, including travellers to Saudi Arabia. It was noted that activating the mechanism of direct cooperation between the Egyptian ministries of immigration and the Ministry of Human Resources of the Kingdom.
The frameworks and mechanisms will also facilitate within the framework of the ministry’s role in educating citizens about safe travel and legal alternatives that include their rights and their duties in future countries for Egyptian workers abroad.
The Minister continued that the training and awareness aim to reduce any problems or obstacles Egyptian workers may face in the kingdom. It also focused on raising them in case they are exposed to any problem and preventing Egyptians from having any problems related to fake employment contracts, thus combating what they could be exposed to from all forms of trade in Humans.
The third awareness episode, published by the Ministry of Immigration in cooperation with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development of the Kingdom, said that “We discuss the facilities provided to women working in Saudi Arabia to ensure their comfort, where the video explains the conditions of pregnancy and birth and the associated vacations”.
The awareness campaign also indicates that one of the most important rights and duties of the employer is to provide the workers with secured seats for their rest, as every employer, who employs 50 workers or more, should provide them with a place where a number of nannies are available to take care of the children of workers under the age of 6 Years.
Regarding medical care for children and women’s care during pregnancy and childbirth, the awareness campaign indicates that if the number of children reaches ten or more, the employer must provide the necessary medical care to the worker during the pregnancy and childbirth and prohibits the working woman after the situation in any case during the six weeks following him. She has a right to extend the leave another month without pay.
The awareness campaign followed that the number of working hours according to Saudi labour law, no more than 8 hours a day or 48 hours a week, and in Ramadan, no more than 6 hours a day or 36 hours a week, actual working hours for security and janitors were also limited to 12 hours a day, Reduce it to 10 hours in Ramadan. The periods allocated for rest, prayer and food are not included within working hours.
Against the law of extending or reducing working hours, the awareness campaign states that the law allows the working hours to be increased to 9 hours for some workers or in some industries and may be reduced to 7 hours for some working classes or in some industries and private businesses.
