Ending sponsorship system

With regard to the report “New labor law to end individual sponsorship” (April 1), it is time that the government puts an end to the sponsorship system. Everyone is aware that large numbers of the expatriate population, especially those in lower paying jobs, do not work for their sponsors. Instead they pay the sponsor a fee and use the Iqama which he has provided to find work elsewhere. That is against the law yet large numbers of workers enter the Kingdom in this way. These workers are then open to exploitation by their sponsors, but cannot take their case to the authorities because they are not employed by their sponsor. The article suggests that a government agency headquartered in Riyadh with branches all over the Kingdom will be created to look after the affairs of foreign workers. This would be a good solution to the problem.

Mohammed Abdullah,
Online response