Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz announced last week that his country’s government would bear 60% of the salaries of Saudi private sector employees, with a total value of 9 billion Riyals.
This decision is due to the impact of the repercussions of the Coronvirus on the private sector installations and comes as a way to help companies not to lay off workers.
Abdel-Rahim El-Morsi, deputy head of the employment division abroad in the Cairo Chamber of Commerce, said in press statements that the Saudi monarch’s decision includes Saudi workers only and does not include foreign workers, including Egyptian workers.
El-Morsi added that all sectors of work in Saudi Arabia are suspended during the current period, with the exception of the food, medical supplies and medical staff sectors.
According to El-Morsi, the owners of companies in the Kingdom are able to pay the wages of Egyptian workers, and some are responsible for paying part of the salaries.
Hamdi Imam, head of the Employment Affiliation Division of the Cairo Chamber of Commerce, said in a press statement earlier that the number of the Egyptian community is about 3 million Egyptians residing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
El-Mursi added that there will be negative effects on the situation of workers in Saudi Arabia if the Coronavirus crisis continues, and its losses would exceed this limit.
El-Morsi said, “It’s possible for employers to be able to pay Egyptian workers’ wages for a month but if the period is prolonged, we do not know whether they will continue to do so or not”.
He added that “no one knows yet what is the damage caused by the continuation of the Coronavirus rampant crisis and its impact on Egyptian workers in the kingdom”.
#SaudiArabia #Coronavirus #COVID19 #EgyptianWorkers #Migrants #PrivateSector
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