Enforcement of Saudi-Lanka MoU postponed
December 14, 2010 01:08 pm
DAMMAM: The National Committee for Recruitment has reached an agreement with the Sri Lankan Labor Union to postpone implementation of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) the two parties signed in June, the Saudi Gazette reported.
Muhammad Al-Mohammadi, Deputy Chairman of the National Recruitment Committee, declined to give a deadline for executing the agreement and said the postponement was approved to secure more rights and guarantees such as the extension of the training period and matters relating to the fact that some workers flee from their sponsors.
The committee’s chairman and the team leading the negotiations are working hard to remove obstacles hampering implementation of the agreement, which was to have started in October, Al-Mohammadi said.
Al-Mohammadi, who anticipates that the agreement will be enforced early next year, said officials from both organizations are exchanging visits that will help diffuse tensions between the two sides.
The MoU was not enforced because recruitment agencies in Sri Lanka were pushing for increased recruitment fees, which was rejected by the National Committee for Recruitment, he said. One major clause in the agreement set the ceiling of recruitment fees at SR5,500 for house-helpers and SR2,500 for drivers.
Al-Mohammadi said the committee is leading serious negotiations to open new recruitment markets and that there are ongoing negotiations with the Laos government, in addition to negotiations with African countries including Ivory Coast and Mali, Vietnam and some countries that were part of the Soviet Union.
– Okaz/Saudi Gazette
Muhammad Al-Mohammadi, Deputy Chairman of the National Recruitment Committee, declined to give a deadline for executing the agreement and said the postponement was approved to secure more rights and guarantees such as the extension of the training period and matters relating to the fact that some workers flee from their sponsors.
The committee’s chairman and the team leading the negotiations are working hard to remove obstacles hampering implementation of the agreement, which was to have started in October, Al-Mohammadi said.
Al-Mohammadi, who anticipates that the agreement will be enforced early next year, said officials from both organizations are exchanging visits that will help diffuse tensions between the two sides.
The MoU was not enforced because recruitment agencies in Sri Lanka were pushing for increased recruitment fees, which was rejected by the National Committee for Recruitment, he said. One major clause in the agreement set the ceiling of recruitment fees at SR5,500 for house-helpers and SR2,500 for drivers.
Al-Mohammadi said the committee is leading serious negotiations to open new recruitment markets and that there are ongoing negotiations with the Laos government, in addition to negotiations with African countries including Ivory Coast and Mali, Vietnam and some countries that were part of the Soviet Union.
– Okaz/Saudi Gazette
