ARAB NEWS

Saturday 8 September 2012

MAKKAH: Transport companies under the General Syndicate of Cars has allotted sufficient funds to recruit about 25,000 drivers from abroad to drive buses during Haj.

The move follows news that Saudi youths have not shown any enthusiasm to work for these companies despite salaries of more than SR 3,000, local Arabic daily Al-Watan reported yesterday.

The Haj transport companies every year recruit the same number of foreign drivers spending more than SR 70 million on their monthly salaries.

The syndicate had early announced the availability of more than 20,000 job opportunities to Saudis to work for them during the Haj season as drivers and technicians.

Undersecretary in the Haj Ministry Hatim Hassan Qadi said very few Saudis applied for the jobs despite the incentives provided by the government including permitting the government employees below Scale V to take up these seasonal jobs after they are granted special leave by their departments.

He said the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ Haj Research Center has conducted a study on the issue and came up with many recommendations which would be considered by the ministry.

There are 18 Haj transport companies with thousands of buses and minibuses transporting pilgrims between Jeddah, Makkah, Madinah and the Holy Sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah.

Meanwhile, Minister of Haj Bandar Al-Hajar has pledged an outstanding Haj season, saying his ministry had put in place an integrated plan for its success.

Al-Hajar was speaking after the annual meeting between the ministry and Haj companies and establishments for domestic pilgrims at the ministry’s office in Jeddah on Thursday. He said there would be no mistakes during Haj. “Plans will be implemented in an organized schedule.”

According to Al-Hajar, success would be achieved only through cooperation between all parties participating in the service to pilgrims.

When a company owner brought up the issue of domestic Haj companies not receiving their Ministry of Haj evaluations and classifications early enough before the season begins, the minister said that approaching companies regarding evaluations was being reorganized and “obstacles facing companies are being tackled.”

Responding to a question on the issue that some companies find their allocated tent space being reduced, he said this was due to the requirements of projects under execution at the holy sites, which is also the reason no additional space will be granted to any company.

Regarding the high prices of tents, he said there would be workshops after the season to tackle all obstructions, adding that the ministry had detected the difference in prices attributed to the difference in services between companies.

Al-Hajar said his ministry received complaints from several quarters and studied each one.

An administration designated for the affairs of domestic Haj companies would be created, he said.