“Saudi Arabia: Shortfalls in migrant workers’ insurance scheme highlight need for major reforms on eve of ILO labour complaint”

Major and comprehensive reforms are urgently needed to protect migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, said Amnesty International, ahead of a key meeting tomorrow at which the International Labour Organization (ILO) will begin its examination of a landmark complaint filed by global trade union Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) against Saudi Arabia over wage theft, forced labour and the prohibition of trade unions.

On 7 October Saudi Arabia announced the launch of an insurance scheme to protect migrant workers’ wages- the latest in a series of labour rights reforms over the past few years as part of the country’s Vision 2030 plan to diversify the economy. However, the scheme and other reforms still fail to offer sufficient protection…

“Saudi Arabia must take the landmark complaint, which is supported by Amnesty International and other organizations, as a warning to bring its labour laws and practices fully in line with international standards. Although Saudi Arabia’s new insurance scheme is a recognition of the need to address wage theft and compensate workers if employers don’t pay up, in reality it is so full of holes that few workers are likely to benefit,” said Stephen Cockburn, Amnesty International’s Head of Economic and Social Justice…

[Read more about BWI's complaint against Saudi Arabia here]