Public sector remains most attractive for citizens: Minister
Social Affairs Minister Hind Al-Sabeeh said that economic circumstances that accompanied the drop in oil prices and the large gap in incentives between the public and private sectors have increased demand to work in the public sector. She said in an answer to a parliamentary question that the Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital is on the 2016/2017 annual plan as construction work extended beyond the 2015/2016 annual plan. Sabeeh said the development plan aims at creating 6,601 additional jobs, which was not totally fulfilled due to the economic circumstances.
Meanwhile, MP Khalid Al-Otaibi expressed regret over developments at the Social Affairs Ministry, adding that the minister is taking the ministry from bad to worse. He rejected the central policy and reducing officials’ authorities. “We warned against the presence of non-cooperative ministers,” the lawmaker said, and asked for a wideranging government change so that ministers’ performance is up to the ambitions of MPs and the people. He said he rejected the minister’s policy at the disabled authority with regards to ‘humiliating citizens’ and malicious action towards their rights. Furthermore, he accused the minister of still wanting to harm unions and deliberately stopped approvals of unions and interfered in their work, forcing them to resort to the judiciary.
Parliamentary sources said the law to naturalize 4,000 bedoons at the interior and defense committee will not be of top priority at the start of the next parliamentary term. Sources said the committee told MPs that its stand has not changed, which means the law will not pass without government approval.
Ministry’s support
Assistant undersecretary for the television sector at the information ministry Majeed Al-Jazzaf said the ministry has approved a future plan to develop the human element “administratively, technically and financially” and upgrade systems. He said that more than 2,250 employees at the sector enjoy the ministry’s support and more than 90 percent of programs were reduced from 90 to 30 minutes to avoid burdening them. He said that 1,200 contracted employees were terminated to rely on ministry employees.