SAUDI ARABIA : “OPRAH-ESQUE JOB GIVEAWAY TO FIGHT OFF TURMOIL”
‘Look under your seats, there is a job for you, you, you, you, you, you and you.’
RIYADH/JEDDAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on Tuesday received princes, Islamic scholars and a group of citizens who came to greet him following his safe return after a three-month-long medical trip abroad.
In an extempore speech, King Abdullah thanked all those who prayed for his quick recovery. “May Allah bless all of you,” he said, and asked his well wishers to excuse him for not shaking hands with them.
“It (shaking hands) is an important thing for me. Forgive me for not doing it. God is Magnificent (he said God and not Allah, hmmm),” the king told his audience. “I take this opportunity to thank all of you who visited me here as well as those who are in their homes and in different countries. … I would like to express my sincere love and affection for all of you, including the elderly, women and children.”
Addressing the reception, Abdul Rahman Al-Ghazzi, a member of the Supreme Judiciary Council, commended King Abdullah for his efforts in the service of the country and the Islamic Ummah.
Earlier, King Abdullah ordered to make the status of temporary government employees permanent. The order will benefit close to 180,000 employees currently working in various government departments and projects.
“All Saudi men and women employed under special employment clauses and receiving their pay from the state budget have been made permanent in their jobs,” the king said in his order.
The order also covered those working in various government departments and receiving pay from funds outside the budget, such as the students’ fund, funds for shelters and endowment, as well as those who are working on contracts in community service colleges and continuous education centers.
Thousands of beneficiaries have expressed their gratitude to the king for his gesture through websites and blogs. Some bloggers prayed for the long life and good health of the king.
The order will upgrade the status of these workers and enable them enjoy the benefits and prerogatives entitled to government employees.
“The latest order is the culmination of the government’s efforts over the past two years to study the issues of the employees working on a temporary basis,” a source told Arab News.
“King Abdullah is keen on the wellbeing of the citizens. Several committees have been set up to study and solve the issues of temporary workers. However, this final order has come at the right moment,” the source said.
A temporary Saudi worker in a municipal project said he would soon get married and raise a family.
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Via: Arabnews.com
