MLSD conducts 128,000 inspection rounds on women-only shops to ensure compliance with nationalization decision

The Ministry of Labor and Social Development (MLSD) said on Monday labor inspectors have recently implemented 128,159 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 and nationalize 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 109,332 law-abiding establishments compared to 18,827 non-compliant ones. Abalkhail pointed out the inspection campaigns detected 15,877 violations related to the labor decision, including 5,527 nationalization violations and 8,100 feminization violations during the crackdown. He added: ‘The remaining number of other labor violations stood at 2,250 as a total of 11,269 establishments have been warned of closure if they continue to ignore the decision.’ 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 at indoor malls. In support of the move, the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) 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.