King orders reinstatement of 200 government employees

JEDDAH: In a rare gesture, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has ordered the reinstatement of 200 employees who were dismissed in January 2013 from their jobs at the Ministry of Education.

Minister of Civil Service Khaled thanked the king for the gesture.

“I thank the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman for his issuance of the Al-Araj royal order to exceptionally reinstate 200 citizens to their jobs at the Ministry of Education in positions commensurate with their qualifications,” the minister tweeted.

The royal order approves the reappointment of all those who wish to return to work on vacant positions at the Ministry of Education, at ranks corresponding to their educational qualifications as per the civil service employee ranking system.

Alternatively, the order calls for modifying or reducing a number of jobs for this purpose, as per the state budget.

“The royal order also calls for the formation of a committee at the Ministry of Education, together with the Ministry of Civil Service, the Ministry of Finance, and the Monitoring and Investigation Commission, to carry out its provisions,” Al-Araj tweeted.

“The ministry immediately asked the Ministry of Education to start the committee’s meetings as of next Wednesday,” Al-Araj said, also thanking Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their attending to all matters brought to their notice by concerned citizens.

The case concerns a Ministry of Education decision to hire citizens after all procedures required by the ministries of Education and of Civil Service were completed. Shortly after their appointment however, a decision was made to dismiss them from their posts due to what the ministry said “mistakes in the appointment procedures.”

A second group of employees was dismissed six months later, bringing the total number sacked employees to 200.

The employees appealed against the ministry’s decision, but nothing happened until a group they formed was able to meet with King Salman and explain their circumstances and suffering.

The king reassured them and asked for an official report, complete with supporting documents and case details. After studying the report, the king issued the royal order to reinstate the employees, according to their qualifications.