Хөдөлмөрийн хуульд шинэчлэл хийсэн ч цалин олгохгүй байх, ажилтныг ажлаас тасалсан гэж бүртгэх зэрэг зөрчил түгээмэл хэвээр байгааг тайланд дурджээ.
Их Британид төвтэй ALQST хүний эрхийн байгууллагын тайланд Саудын Арабт ажиллаж буй 14 сая гаруй цагаач ажилтны нөхцөл байдалд дорвитой өөрчлөлт гараагүй гэжээ. 2026 оны гуравдугаар сараас тавдугаар сарын хооронд судалгаанд оролцсон ажилтнуудын гуравны хоёр нь цалингаа хэдэн сараар авч чадаагүй, дөрөвний нэг нь ажил тасалсан гэж үндэслэлгүй бүртгүүлсэн гэж хариулсан байна. Судалгаанд оролцогчдын ердөө 22 хувь нь эрх нь зөрчигдөөгүй гэжээ.
Саудын эрх баригчид 2025 оны гуравдугаар сард ажил олгогчоос хамааралтай кафала тогтолцоог халж, хөдөлмөрийн харилцааг сайжруулах шинэчлэл зарласан ч цоорхой хэвээр байгааг тайланд тэмдэглэжээ. Гэрээний хугацаанд гадагшаа зорчих ажилтан зөвхөн араб, англи хэлээр ажилладаг төрийн цахим хуудсаар хүсэлт гаргаж, буцаан олгогдохгүй 200 риал буюу 53 ам.долларын хураамж төлөх ёстой бөгөөд ажил олгогч хүсэлтийг нь татгалзаж болно. Паспорт хураах явдал түгээмэл, харин ийм зөрчил гаргасан ажил олгогчийг шалгах, торгох нь ховор гэж ALQST мэдээлэв.
Ажилтнууд аваагүй мөнгөө авсан мэт баримтад гарын үсэг зурахаас гадна гарах зөвшөөрөл хүсэхийн тулд батлан даагч олохыг шаардсан тохиолдол байдгийг тайланд дурджээ. Ажил солих боломжтой ч хуучин ажил олгогчид гэрээний үлдсэн хугацааны нөхөн төлбөр, торгууль болон бусад зардлыг төлөх шаардлагатай бөгөөд энэ нь 173 ам.доллараас 2,650 ам.доллар хүрч болзошгүй байна. Зардал нь Саудын Арабын бус ажилтны сарын дундаж цалингаас дөрөв дахин их болох тохиолдол бий.
Мөн барилгын талбайн аюулгүй ажиллагаа хангалтгүй, ажилчид хамгаалах хэрэгслийн зардлыг өөрсдөө төлөх эсвэл цалингаасаа суутгуулах тохиолдол байдгийг тайланд онцолжээ. Осол, уналтын улмаас гарсан нас баралтыг шалгадаггүй, гэмтсэн ажилтнуудад нөхөн төлбөр олгох нь ховор гэж ALQST мэдээлсэн байна. Ажилд авах зарим ажлын байрыг тодорхой үндэстний хүмүүст зориулан нээж, бусдыг ялгаварлах явдал ч байсаар байгаа аж.
Өмнөд Африкийн иргэн Перл Блинго 2025 оны наймдугаар сард гэр бүлийн хамт Саудын Арабт очихдоо байр, онгоцны тийзний зардлын нөхөн төлбөр болон хүүгийнхээ сургалтын төлбөрийн талыг даалгана гэсэн амлалт авч байсан ч эдгээрийг аваагүй, визний нэмэлт төлбөр төлсөн гэжээ. Тэрээр цалингаа нэхэмжилж хөдөлмөрийн шүүхэд хандсаны дараа гэрээгээ цуцлуулж, гэр бүлийнхээ хамт саатуулах, албадан гаргах төвд хүргэгдэхээс болгоомжилж, хэрэг үргэлжилж байх үед эх орондоо буцсан байна. ALQST-ийн мэдээлснээр, байгууллага тайлангийн талаар Саудын Арабын Засгийн газарт тайлбар хүсэж ханджээ.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
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Migrant workers in Saudi Arabia continue to face widespread exploitation and barriers when accessing justice more than a year after the Kingdom overhauled controversial labour laws, a new report has found.
The report, compiled by UK-based rights organisation ALQST and shared exclusively with The Independent, concludes that little has changed for the over 14 million migrant workers based in the country, despite promises to end a pattern of ongoing exploitation.
Two-thirds of migrant workers surveyed by ALQST between March and May 2026 said they had not received their wages for months at a time, while a quarter said they had been falsely reported as absent from work – putting them at risk of deportation. Only 22 per cent reported not facing any violations of their rights.
Contracts used to control workers
The Kafala system meant that foreign workers were dependent on their sponsors for their right to remain and leave the country, making them vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.
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In March 2025 authorities announced that this would be abolished and labour reforms based on a “contractual relationship improvement initiative” were introduced.
But the report says that loopholes exist that are still being exploited by employers.
Under the reforms, if a worker wants to leave during the period of their contract for a holiday or for any other purpose, they must apply through a government website available only in Arabic and English and pay a non-refundable processing fee of SAR 200 or $53.
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The sponsor can object to the request on the grounds that they do not believe the worker will return and complete their contract, which then prevents the employee from leaving.
Despite passport confiscation being illegal under Saudi law, the report says that the practice remains “common” and that “employers are rarely investigated or fined by the authorities”.
It adds that sanad qabd, a practice entailing a worker being forced to sign a voucher for receipt of cash under threat or coercion for money not received, remains commonplace.
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“ALQST has heard of employers requiring workers to sign receipts acknowledging payment of money they never received as a condition for not objecting to their request for an exit visa,” the report reads.
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“Others have demanded that workers find a colleague to act as guarantor, agreeing to compensate the employer financially if the worker does not return and complete their contract.”
Although the reforms say that a worker can change employers if they secure a new job, they must however compensate their current employer for the remainder of their contract, pay contractual penalties and meet any other financial obligations within their contract. These costs can range between $173 for issuing a new resident permit up to $2,650 for multiple transfers. The costs can amount to four times the average monthly wage for non-Saudi workers
The report warns that the perception that conditions have improved could draw more vulnerable workers to Saudi Arabia, where they will continue to have little protection.
‘I returned home with nothing’
Pearl Blignaut, a South African national and mother-of-one, moved to Saudi Arabia with her family after the reforms were introduced in August 2025. She was promised accommodation, reimbursement for plane tickets, and funding for half of her son’s school costs. However, she was not paid for this and on top had to pay additional fees for processing her visa.
She then discovered she was being paid less than promised after her attendance record was reportedly being manipulated to make it appear as if she was absent. When she applied to a labour court to complain about her delayed wages, her employment contract was terminated.
She says she was held hostage in Saudi Arabia while an exit visa was then issued, and fled while the case was ongoing amid fears she could be sent to a detention and deportation centre with her family.
“It was a horrendous experience,” she told The Independent. “We were completely ignored. My last email I sent about a month ago where I was expressing my absolute disgust and the fact that I’ve still not been paid what is due to me, money that I owe my retired parents, which I cannot pay back.”
She says she came back to South Africa with “absolutely nothing”.
“I’ve never experienced such anxiety and helplessness, and the trauma it caused my son, who was only 10-years-old at the time.”
She added: “I’m aware of a lot of teachers that have experienced things similar to what I’ve experienced as well.”
Dangerous working conditions
Large numbers of migrant workers in the Kingdom have died in huge construction projects working in harsh desert conditions and the searing heat. Promises to improve health and safety conditions have not been implemented, the report suggests.
It adds that “putting workers at risk is not a criminal offence in Saudi Arabia and injured workers rarely receive compensation even if their employer is found to be at fault”.
In some cases low-paid workers have been asked to pay for their own safety equipment or have had the cost deducted from their wages.
The report says that workers in excessively hot kitchens with poor ventilation “may suffer burns, heat-related illnesses, or injuries caused by slips and falls”.
“In the construction sector, the absence of appropriate safety measures can lead to life-changing injuries, including the loss of limbs, permanent disabilities, or death,” it adds.
It explains that conditions extend to accommodation that is often overcrowded and “fails to meet basic health and safety standards of sanitation and ventilation”.
Deaths by falls or accidents have also been not been investigated, say ALQST.
The report also highlights discrimination in recruitment with roles advertised for some nationalities and not others. Despite the government issuing a resolution to prohibit “any kind of discrimination”, regulations are “very weakly enforced and the only penalty for proven failure to comply is a small administrative fine”.
Two-thirds of workers reported not receiving wages due to falsely being recorded as absent from employment despite attendance. A Human Rights Watch report in 2024 found that 128 out of 130 migrant workers in Saudi Arabia had paid illegal recruitment fees, with Amnesty International reporting large recruitment fees in November 2025.
The Independent has contacted the Saudi government for comment.
