Labor inspectors conduct 156,000 inspection visits to women-only shops in various regions, uncovering 18,000 violations related to feminization decision: MLSD

The Ministry of Labor and Social Development (MLSD) said on Sunday labor inspectors have detected 18,540 violations related to the decision aiming to feminize women-only shops in its third phase since its launch date with initiating 156,886 inspection visits to shopping centers and independent stores, which is in cooperation with several government entities. Khaled Abalkhail, spokesman for MLSD, clarified the inspection campaigns uncovered 135,134 law-abiding establishments compared to 21,752 non-compliant ones. Abalkhail pointed out the inspection campaigns detected 18,540 violations related to the labor decision, including 7,266 nationalization violations and 8,822 feminization violations during the crackdown. He added: ‘The remaining number of other labor violations stood at 2,452.’ Abalkhail urged customers to report labor market 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 inside indoor malls with sections that sell accessories and cosmetics. 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.