Saudi Arabia announces cancellation of Aneri Diwali Gift, Kafala system to workers

- Thousands of Indian workers will benefit

Dubai dated 6th November 2020 Friday

Saudi Arabia has announced the abolition of the Kafala system as a Diwali gift to Indian workers. The move will benefit thousands of Indian workers.

The implementation of this decision will start from March 2021. The announcement was made by Saudi Arabia's Department of Human Resources and Labor on Wednesday. Until now, workers on meager wages have been legally bound to their employers. Workers will now be able to move to another job by ending their contract with their employer. He will not be forced to work for the same salary as Chana Mamra.

"We took this decision as a step towards improving the working system and the working environment," said Abdullah bin Nasir Abuthain, Deputy Minister of Labor and Human Resources. Workers from various Asian countries working here will benefit from this decision. After this decision, workers will be able to change jobs or voluntarily return to their homeland by terminating their contract with the exploiting employer.

The Kafala system is understandable. The system imposed various restrictions on workers coming to work here from outside. Once here the worker cannot raise his voice against exploitation, the employer's permission to return to the homeland was mandatory and he could not leave or change the job without the employer's permission. Many employers only took their employee's passport so the employee could not go anywhere. He was forced to work twelve to fifteen hours for a meager salary. In other words, the employee was becoming a slave.

Several human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have been calling for the system to be shut down over the past few years.