MLSD conducts over 104,000 inspection rounds to feminize and nationalize women-only shops, uncovering 13,749 violations of nationalization

The Ministry of Labor and Social Development said on Tuesday labor inspectors conducted 104,727 inspection rounds on shopping centers and independent stores in various regions of the Kingdom to make sure employers comply with the decision aiming to feminize women-only shops in its third phase, which is in cooperation with several government entities. Khaled Abalkhail, spokesman for MLSD, clarified the inspection campaigns uncovered 88,016 law-abiding establishments compared to 16,711 non-compliant ones. Abalkhail pointed out the inspection campaigns detected 13,749 violations related to the labor decision, including 4,362 nationalization violations and 7,521 feminization violations. He added: ‘The remaining number of other labor violations stood at 1,866.’ Abalkhail urged customers to report labor violations or submit inquiries through dialing the customer service No. (19911) or using the ‘Ma3an lil Rasd’ app on smart phones. Meanwhile, the third phase of the decision kicked off on 21st Oct. 2017 to nationalize and feminize shops selling women-only necessities, namely perfumes, shoes, bags, women socks, ready-to-wear cloths, kiosks and women fabrics, in addition to department stores selling women cloths along with other staples. It also targets independent and small stores that sell soiree gowns, wedding dresses, Abaya (cloaks), accessories, Jalabiyas (traditional dresses), mother-care products and pharmacies with sections that sell accessories and cosmetics. In support of the move, the Human Resources Development Fund has offered an array of services for female workers, including the children hospitality program ‘Qurrah’ and the transportation program ‘Wusool’ for the working woman in order to increase the number of Saudi women in the workforce.