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RIYADH: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has formed a team comprising officials from other ministries to ensure Saudization is enforced in the telecommunications and mobile phone sector as per the directive issued last week by Labor Minister Mufrej Al-Haqabani.

Last week, the Labor Ministry sent circulars to companies and employees in the industry telling them that 50 percent of their employees must be Saudis in three months and 100 percent in six months.
The new plan is to create jobs for Saudi men and women that will give them financial stability and minimize cover-up activities. The decision will be enforced across the country and include small, medium and large businesses.
A ministry official said statutory penalties will be imposed with no let-ups for those who violate these new regulations under the Anti-Commercial Concealment Law in the field of telecommunications and their accessories.
He pointed out that a team composed of representatives from the ministries of labor, municipal and rural affairs and communication and information technology will inspect the outlets after the deadline to check the percentage of the Saudization process as set in the new rule.
He said that the Commission of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) will support the entrepreneurs in the telecom sector to achieve partnership with the concerned ministries for the implementation of the decision in the telecom and accessories sector.
The MCI said that under the new regulation, violators are liable for punishment of up to two years of jail and a SR1 million fine irrespective of the nationality of the businessman. Such shops that violate the rules will be shut down and licenses suspended for five years. Expatriates who violate the regulations will be deported on completion of their jail sentences.
Meanwhile, on the directive of the labor minister, the Labor Ministry will conduct free training programs for young Saudi men and women who wish to find employment in the sector.
The training program, which will be conducted in coordination with the Technical and Vocational Training Corp. (TVTC), will cover areas such as customer service, sales management, the basics of mobile maintenance and maintenance of advanced mobile phones.
Abdul-Kareem Al-Nujaidi, director general of HADAF, said the fund will support the recruitment and rehabilitation of job seekers in the mobile phone sector.
HRDF will provide employment support services to enterprises and job-seekers in the telecommunications industry, which will be accessible at . There will also be support provided in paying part of the salaries of Saudis employed, he concluded.