The chief of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia), Abdul Latif Al-Asheikh, says women should only work until 7 p.m. because working late hours affects their family life. He says it is also not good for men to work shifts that end late at night.
Al-Asheikh said it was unacceptable for women to work until midnight. “Women should work reasonable hours in order to lead normal lives with their families.” He said that “current working hours in the marketplace are deeply disorganized, and unlike work regulations in other parts of the world.”
“Men and women salespersons are not given their human and familial rights and are made to work long hours. Workers in the marketplace simply do not have rights. “Workers in stores are subjected to practices tantamount to slavery. If the Ministry of Labor is serious about working in the public interest and helping localize jobs for Saudi citizens, it has to set regulations for working hours like developed countries,” Al-Asheikh said. “Our lives, first and foremost, revolve around obeying the commands of Allah.
We are supposed to build healthy family lives. For a man or a woman to work two shifts, from the morning until noon, and from the afternoon until midnight, ruins their family life and (violates their) rights,” he said.
The Haia chief said he supports initiatives to provide “decent jobs for Saudi women that can help them lead respectable lives without seeking financial help from others.” But there are “proper ways to do this. I recommend that stores close at 7 p.m., like the rest of the world.
Al-Asheikh said it was unacceptable for women to work until midnight. “Women should work reasonable hours in order to lead normal lives with their families.” He said that “current working hours in the marketplace are deeply disorganized, and unlike work regulations in other parts of the world.”
“Men and women salespersons are not given their human and familial rights and are made to work long hours. Workers in the marketplace simply do not have rights. “Workers in stores are subjected to practices tantamount to slavery. If the Ministry of Labor is serious about working in the public interest and helping localize jobs for Saudi citizens, it has to set regulations for working hours like developed countries,” Al-Asheikh said. “Our lives, first and foremost, revolve around obeying the commands of Allah.
We are supposed to build healthy family lives. For a man or a woman to work two shifts, from the morning until noon, and from the afternoon until midnight, ruins their family life and (violates their) rights,” he said.
The Haia chief said he supports initiatives to provide “decent jobs for Saudi women that can help them lead respectable lives without seeking financial help from others.” But there are “proper ways to do this. I recommend that stores close at 7 p.m., like the rest of the world.
Of course there will be exceptions, but these too can be set within reasonable hours,” he said. “But for a woman to leave work at late hours in the night is not safe for her. There are religious strictures that prohibit this. Many citizens are reluctant to work because they simply can’t stay for long hours away from their homes. They have duties to their families and to themselves,” he said.
He said the Haia was working with the Ministry of Labor to ensure Saudi women are employed at woman accessory and clothing stores in the country “in a safe and proper working environment. Women should work in legal jobs sanctioned by Shariah law, and should be protected from being used.” He said the Haia plans to take action against stores where barriers between men and women are transparent.
Source: www.arabnews.com
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