Jeddah, Mar 3(Arab News): Saudi employees working in private companies have launched a campaign through Facebook to have their salaries increased in tandem with a 15 percent hike announced by the state for government employees.
They said such a salary increase was essential in the backdrop of rising prices of essential commodities and wanted Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to intervene to make it happen.
The campaign titled “We Are Also Saudis” urged the government to pay the money they have been giving to the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI), which is 9 percent of the monthly salary.
The campaign also urged private companies to employ more jobless Saudis.
Nasser Al-Gharbi, a private company employee, proposed that the state pay the 9 percent of the salary the Saudis have been paying to GOSI as part of the government’s contribution to increasing their salaries.
“Most government employees have now received 30 percent increase in salaries and if the state bears this 9 percent GOSI payment, it would have been a great relief for Saudis working in private firms,” he said.
Al-Gharbi said the private companies should increase salaries of their workers in equal proportion with government employees.
Salim Al-Harbi also called for increasing salaries at private companies by 30 percent to be equal with government workers. He said the minimum salaries for Saudis should be put at SR4,000.
Fahd Al-Jabri said he has been suffering from the growing prices of essential commodities.
“There are more than 800,000 Saudis working in the private sector and they support their families numbering 2.2 million. The government should take measures to increase their salaries by 30 percent,” he said.
Fahd Al-Anazi, one of the campaign organizers, said he has been working in a car company and receives a monthly salary of SR2,500. “This salary will not be enough to meet ends, especially after prices of essential commodities have gone up.”
He said only those having wasta (influence) are getting jobs in the government departments.
Khaled Al-Ghamdi expressed hope that the king would show kindness toward Saudis working in the private sector by taking immediate action to increase their salaries by 30 percent like their counterparts in the public sector.
“We hope the Saudi leadership would hear our voice and take immediate action to increase our salaries,” said Faisal Al-Sayyed, another private sector worker. He said at present private companies have reduced annual increments from 20 to 5 percent.
Sara Abdullah said: “We feel depressed when we hear about royal gestures increasing the salary of government employees as we in the private sector are excluded from such benefits without any reason. We consider King Abdullah as the father of all Saudis, and we are also Saudis,” she said.
Aysha Al-Harbi, a schoolteacher, said: “I am receiving a monthly salary of SR1,500. My counterparts in the government schools receive higher salaries although we have the same certificates.” She hoped that King Abdullah would do something to offset economic difficulties of private-sector employees.
According to latest statistics, unemployment rate among Saudis in the age bracket of 20-24 has risen to 43.2 percent in 2009.