Ausamah Al-absi

Guest workers in the country have been urged to register their phone numbers with the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA).

Many workers in the Kingdom refrain from registering their mobile numbers owing to fears that, with their numbers on the LMRA’s database, they could be easily tracked down and monitored.The LMRA however, assured that the registration of mobile numbers is for the protection of the worker.

False complaints are at times registered against workers, with some employers even alleging that their employees have run away. In some cases, the worker is kept in the dark about these complaints, which will eventually lead to complications later on.

LMRA Chief Executive Ausamah Al Absi requested guest workers to register their phone numbers to avoid such complications in future. “We have a facility wherein, whenever an employer lodges a complaint with us, the workers in question will automatically be informed by SMS that their employer has lodged a complaint against them.”

“Many people think LMRA will use the phone numbers to catch them and that the registration will be more to their disadvantage. This is totally wrong.”

“In reality, it will keep you more informed so that later on you won’t be surprised to find out that your employer has lodged a false complaint about you,” Mr Absi said.

He further highlighted that the biggest enemy of any human is his/her ignorance. “If a worker does not know what is being done to him, he goes about his daily life. But there is a case somewhere against him and he will only find out about it when there is another problem or when the worker attempts to leave the country,” he said.

“As much as we would like to hear a balanced case from both ends, it usually ends up with the LMRA hearing just one side of the story. We do not have access to the other side of the story because we cannot contact them,”  Mr. Al Absi said.