Trade Unions From 36 Countries Protest Saudi Arabia’s Treatment of Migrant Workers

Date: 06 June 2025 - 22:41

News ID: ۱۴۰۲۸۵

RIYADH (Middle East Eye) – Trade unions from 36 countries have filed a complaint with the International Labour Organization (ILO) over the treatment of migrant laborers in Saudi Arabia, The Guardian has reported.
The joint submission called for a “commission of inquiry” into labor rights in the kingdom - one of the most important tools available to the UN agency.
“This is a call for immediate action towards genuine, inclusive and collaborative reform,” said Luc Triangle, the secretary-general of the International Trade Union Confederation.
“We cannot tolerate another death of a migrant worker in Saudi Arabia. We cannot remain silent while migrant workers, especially construction and domestic workers, continue to face fundamental rights violations. This has to stop now.”
The complaint comes as development and construction ramp up in Saudi Arabia ahead of its hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
This week, the kingdom signed a cooperation agreement with the ILO on the sidelines of its annual conference in Geneva. Under the agreement, which initially lasts for two years, Riyadh is expected to align its labor laws with international standards.
The agreement reportedly includes measures to support fair recruitment, make it easier for laborers to switch jobs, introduce a minimum wage and include migrant workers on workers’ representative committees.
It also includes commitments to improve compensation for workers who are injured or killed.
However, trade unionists from several delegations think the reforms did not go far enough. Unions from the UK, Japan, Canada, Australia and 13 African countries were among those to sign the complaint, which was fiercely opposed by the Saudis.
“Africans go to Saudi Arabia looking for life but come back in coffins,” said Omar Osman, the general secretary of the Federation of Somali Trade Unions and one of the signatories.
The complaint, seen by The Guardian, lists several cases of alleged forced labor, human trafficking, wage theft, and sexual and physical abuse of migrant laborers.
Last month, a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) found that scores of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia had died in horrific, avoidable workplace incidents - including falls from buildings, electrocutions and decapitations.