25 March 2012
RIYADH -- Several leading businessmen and contractors have severely criticized the Nitaqat system enforced by the Ministry of Labor to boost Saudization.
These businessmen are especially critical of the way the ministry has turned a deaf ear to their observations on the negative aspects of the system. The negatives, the businessmen pointed out, will adversely impact their investments especially in projects which have been hampered by Nitaqat.
"The system has started biting us because most of the government projects awarded to us are faltering; this may lead to the collapse of our contracting companies which have been built after decades of hard work," the businessmen were quoted by the Arabic press as saying Saturday.
Butti Al-Manqassi, a Saudi contractor whose company is implementing a series of government projects in development and education in different parts of the Kingdom, claims that his company has been badly affected by the ministry's program. "I have hundreds of vacant jobs in my company which could not be filled by Saudis due to the nature of the work," he said.
The Labor Ministry, he claims, was very much aware of the fact that there are no Saudi plumbers, masons or construction workers. Even then the ministry insists that Saudis be employed in these jobs.
"The irony is that government projects have a deadline to be met; how can we meet the deadline, when we can't hire the required workforce?"
"I am certain I will not be able to meet the deadline and will have to face a heavy fine. It would be for a mistake which others should be held accountable for."
He said that Saudi contractors through contracting committees of the chambers of commerce and industry tried to explain this to the ministry officials and the minister but "they didn't want to understand or listen."
Naser Bin Tewali, a Saudi businessman working in the contracting field for decades, said: "We as Saudi businessmen and contractors are very keen that all workers in our establishments are Saudis. If this goal is fulfilled, there will be no more corruption and all of the problems we face with foreign workers will come to an end. But we need a farsighted and sound vision to realize this goal."
However, Hattab Al-Enaizi, the ministry's spokesman, said there was no room for compromise . He said instead of whining and whimpering, contractors should follow the path of other business houses and try to correct their status in order to come out of the red and yellow zones of the Nitaqat system.
RIYADH -- Several leading businessmen and contractors have severely criticized the Nitaqat system enforced by the Ministry of Labor to boost Saudization.
These businessmen are especially critical of the way the ministry has turned a deaf ear to their observations on the negative aspects of the system. The negatives, the businessmen pointed out, will adversely impact their investments especially in projects which have been hampered by Nitaqat.
"The system has started biting us because most of the government projects awarded to us are faltering; this may lead to the collapse of our contracting companies which have been built after decades of hard work," the businessmen were quoted by the Arabic press as saying Saturday.
Butti Al-Manqassi, a Saudi contractor whose company is implementing a series of government projects in development and education in different parts of the Kingdom, claims that his company has been badly affected by the ministry's program. "I have hundreds of vacant jobs in my company which could not be filled by Saudis due to the nature of the work," he said.
The Labor Ministry, he claims, was very much aware of the fact that there are no Saudi plumbers, masons or construction workers. Even then the ministry insists that Saudis be employed in these jobs.
"The irony is that government projects have a deadline to be met; how can we meet the deadline, when we can't hire the required workforce?"
"I am certain I will not be able to meet the deadline and will have to face a heavy fine. It would be for a mistake which others should be held accountable for."
He said that Saudi contractors through contracting committees of the chambers of commerce and industry tried to explain this to the ministry officials and the minister but "they didn't want to understand or listen."
Naser Bin Tewali, a Saudi businessman working in the contracting field for decades, said: "We as Saudi businessmen and contractors are very keen that all workers in our establishments are Saudis. If this goal is fulfilled, there will be no more corruption and all of the problems we face with foreign workers will come to an end. But we need a farsighted and sound vision to realize this goal."
However, Hattab Al-Enaizi, the ministry's spokesman, said there was no room for compromise . He said instead of whining and whimpering, contractors should follow the path of other business houses and try to correct their status in order to come out of the red and yellow zones of the Nitaqat system.
© The Saudi Gazette 2012
