{"id":681979,"date":"2024-11-08T09:43:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-07T22:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org.au\/?p=681979"},"modified":"2024-11-08T09:43:03","modified_gmt":"2024-11-07T22:43:03","slug":"saudi-arabia-shortfalls-in-migrant-workers-insurance-scheme-highlight-need-for-major-reforms-on-eve-of-ilo-labour-complaint","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org.au\/saudi-arabia-shortfalls-in-migrant-workers-insurance-scheme-highlight-need-for-major-reforms-on-eve-of-ilo-labour-complaint\/","title":{"rendered":"Saudi Arabia: Shortfalls in migrant workers\u2019 insurance scheme highlight need for major reforms on eve of ILO labour complaint"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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<\/a> filed by global trade union Building and Wood Workers\u2019 International (BWI) against Saudi Arabia over wage theft, forced labour and the prohibition of trade unions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 7 October Saudi Arabia announced the launch of an insurance scheme<\/a> to protect migrant workers\u2019 wages- the latest in a series of labour rights reforms over the past few years as part of the country\u2019s Vision 2030 plan to diversify the economy. However, the scheme and other reforms still fail to offer sufficient protection to foreign workers from exploitation and abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cSaudi 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.”<\/p>\nStephen Cockburn, Amnesty International\u2019s Head of Economic and Social Justice<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSaudi 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\u2019s new insurance scheme is a recognition of the need to address wage theft and compensate workers if employers don\u2019t pay up, in reality it is so full of holes that few workers are likely to benefit,\u201d said Stephen Cockburn, Amnesty International\u2019s Head of Economic and Social Justice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The insurance scheme sets unrealistic conditions<\/a> for claims to be made and excludes some of the most marginalized workers, such as domestic and seasonal workers. Crucially, workers are only eligible to submit a claim if wage payments are delayed for 80% or more of their company\u2019s workforce for six months or longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, migrant workers remain vulnerable to abuse and exploitation on a massive scale in Saudi Arabia through the country\u2019s restrictive Kafala sponsorship system, weak enforcement of laws and impunity for abusers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAuthorities in Saudi Arabia must move beyond half-hearted half-measures on workers\u2019 rights and focus on driving through comprehensive reforms and initiatives that are robustly implemented. With Saudi Arabia set to be confirmed as the host of the 2034 World Cup, this matters more than ever. The rights of every migrant worker in the country are at stake,\u201d said Stephen Cockburn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Background<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The complaint lodged<\/a> against Saudi Arabia by global trade union Building and Wood Workers\u2019 International (BWI) relates to severe human rights abuses and wage theft involving 21,000 workers. BWI lodged its complaint to the ILO in June 2024. It will be heard on 7 November at the ILO Governing Body meeting, and if accepted, could create a committee to look into the complaints and produce a report recommending further action.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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\u2019 International (BWI) against Saudi Arabia over wage theft, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":681980,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSaudi Arabia: Shortfalls in migrant workers\u2019 insurance scheme highlight need for major reforms on eve of ILO labour complaint - Amnesty International Australia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Major and comprehensive reforms are urgently needed to protect migrant workers ahead of a key meeting tomorrow.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org.au\/saudi-arabia-shortfalls-in-migrant-workers-insurance-scheme-highlight-need-for-major-reforms-on-eve-of-ilo-labour-complaint\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Saudi Arabia: Shortfalls in migrant workers\u2019 insurance scheme highlight need for major reforms on eve of ILO labour complaint\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Major and comprehensive reforms are urgently needed to protect migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, said Amnesty International, ahead of a key meeting\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org.au\/saudi-arabia-shortfalls-in-migrant-workers-insurance-scheme-highlight-need-for-major-reforms-on-eve-of-ilo-labour-complaint\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Amnesty International Australia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-11-07T22:43:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-11-07T22:43:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/GettyImages-187893751-scaled-e1730913623752-1468x710-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1468\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"710\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Amnesty International\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Amnesty International\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org.au\/saudi-arabia-shortfalls-in-migrant-workers-insurance-scheme-highlight-need-for-major-reforms-on-eve-of-ilo-labour-complaint\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org.au\/saudi-arabia-shortfalls-in-migrant-workers-insurance-scheme-highlight-need-for-major-reforms-on-eve-of-ilo-labour-complaint\/\",\"name\":\"Saudi Arabia: Shortfalls in migrant workers\u2019 insurance scheme highlight need for major reforms on eve of ILO labour complaint - 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