Latest news with #labourlaws
Arabian Business
6 days ago
- Arabian Business
Saudi Arabia arrested over 9,600 last week in residency and labour operations
Saudi Arabia arrested more than 9,600 people in the past week as it looks to stop residency, labour and security breaches. The inspection campaigns carried out between June 5 and June 11 in all regions of the Kingdom, to check compliance with residency, work and border security regulations, saw 9,639 violations recorded, including: 5,625 of residency 2,797 of border security 1,217 of labour laws Saudi residency, labour and security arrests 1,117 individuals were apprehended attempting to cross the border into the Kingdom illegally, of whom 28 per cent were Yemenis and 72 per cent Ethiopians. 35 people were arrested for attempting to leave the Kingdom illegally. 10 people involved in transporting, sheltering, and employing violators were arrested. A total of 14,402 expatriates (13,364 men and 1,038 women) are currently undergoing procedures for enforcing regulations. 8,630 people were detained for violating laws and instructed to contact their countries' embassies or consulates to obtain proper travel documentation; 840 were told to make booking arrangements for their departure, and 7,657 were repatriated. The Ministry of Interior has warned that any person who facilitates the illegal entry of individuals into the Kingdom, transports them on its territory, provides them with shelter or any other assistance or service may be penalised with up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to SR1m ($267,000), and that the vehicles used for transport or houses used for shelter may be confiscated. The ministry stressed that such acts are major crimes that warrant arrest. It also urges people to report any violations by calling 911 in the Makkah, Riyadh, and Eastern regions, and 999 and 996 in the rest of Saudi Arabia.
News.com.au
08-06-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Italy holds referendum on citizenship, workers' rights
Italians vote on Sunday and Monday in a referendum on easing citizenship rules and strengthening labour laws, with Giorgia Meloni's government opposing both changes and urging people to abstain. A non-EU adult resident without marriage or blood ties to Italy must currently live in the country for 10 years before they can apply for citizenship -- a process which can then take years. The referendum proposal, triggered by a grassroots campaign led by NGOs, would cut this to five years, putting Italy in line with Germany and France. Campaigners say around 2.5 million people could benefit from the reform, which is being backed by the centre-left Democratic Party. Meloni, whose far-right Brothers of Italy party has prioritised cutting illegal immigration even while increasing the number of legal work visas for migrants, is strongly against it. She said Thursday that the current system "is an excellent law, among the most open, in the sense that we have for years been among the European nations that grant the highest number of citizenships each year". More than 213,500 people acquired Italian citizenship in 2023, double the number in 2020 and one fifth of the European Union total, according to EU statistics. More than 90 percent were from outside the bloc, mostly from Albania and Morocco, as well as Argentina and Brazil -- two countries with large Italian immigrant communities. Ministers agreed in March to restrict the rights to citizenship of those with blood ties to Italy from four to two generations. Meloni and her coalition partners have encouraged voters to boycott the referendum, which will only be valid if 50 percent of eligible voters plus one participate. Even if it passes, the reform will not affect the migration law many consider the most unfair, that children born in Italy to foreign parents cannot request nationality until they reach 18. Prominent rapper Ghali, who was born in Milan to Tunisian parents, has been an outspoken advocate changing the law for children, but nevertheless urged fans to back Sunday's vote as a step in the right direction. "With a 'Yes' we ask that five years of life here are enough, not 10, to be part of this country," he wrote on Instagram. - Interests of workers - Under Italy's constitution, a referendum can be triggered by a petition signed by at least 500,000 voters. This week's ballot includes one question on citizenship and four others on increasing protections for workers who are dismissed, in precarious situations or involved in workplace accidents. The changes are being pushed by the left-wing CGIL trade union. "We want to reverse a culture that has prioritised the interests of business over those of workers," CGIL general secretary Maurizio Landini told AFP. The Democratic Party is also backing the proposals -- even if it introduced some of the laws the CGIL wants to repeal while in office in the past. The proposals are notably aimed at measures of the so-called Jobs Act, passed a decade ago by the government of the Democratic Party prime minister, Matteo Renzi, in order to liberalise the labour market. Supporters say the act boosted employment but detractors say it made work more precarious. Under new leadership, the Democratic Party -- which is polling at around 23 percent, behind Meloni's Brothers of Italy at about 30 percent, according to an SWG survey this week -- is seeking to woo working-class voters by backing the referendum reform.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Italy holds referendum on citizenship, workers' rights
Italians vote on Sunday and Monday in a referendum on easing citizenship rules and strengthening labour laws, with Giorgia Meloni's government opposing both changes and urging people to abstain. A non-EU adult resident without marriage or blood ties to Italy must currently live in the country for 10 years before they can apply for citizenship -- a process which can then take years. The referendum proposal, triggered by a grassroots campaign led by NGOs, would cut this to five years, putting Italy in line with Germany and France. Campaigners say around 2.5 million people could benefit from the reform, which is being backed by the centre-left Democratic Party. Meloni, whose far-right Brothers of Italy party has prioritised cutting illegal immigration even while increasing the number of legal work visas for migrants, is strongly against it. She said Thursday that the current system "is an excellent law, among the most open, in the sense that we have for years been among the European nations that grant the highest number of citizenships each year". More than 213,500 people acquired Italian citizenship in 2023, double the number in 2020 and one fifth of the European Union total, according to EU statistics. More than 90 percent were from outside the bloc, mostly from Albania and Morocco, as well as Argentina and Brazil -- two countries with large Italian immigrant communities. Ministers agreed in March to restrict the rights to citizenship of those with blood ties to Italy from four to two generations. Meloni and her coalition partners have encouraged voters to boycott the referendum, which will only be valid if 50 percent of eligible voters plus one participate. Even if it passes, the reform will not affect the migration law many consider the most unfair, that children born in Italy to foreign parents cannot request nationality until they reach 18. Prominent rapper Ghali, who was born in Milan to Tunisian parents, has been an outspoken advocate changing the law for children, but nevertheless urged fans to back Sunday's vote as a step in the right direction. "With a 'Yes' we ask that five years of life here are enough, not 10, to be part of this country," he wrote on Instagram. - Interests of workers - Under Italy's constitution, a referendum can be triggered by a petition signed by at least 500,000 voters. This week's ballot includes one question on citizenship and four others on increasing protections for workers who are dismissed, in precarious situations or involved in workplace accidents. The changes are being pushed by the left-wing CGIL trade union. "We want to reverse a culture that has prioritised the interests of business over those of workers," CGIL general secretary Maurizio Landini told AFP. The Democratic Party is also backing the proposals -- even if it introduced some of the laws the CGIL wants to repeal while in office in the past. The proposals are notably aimed at measures of the so-called Jobs Act, passed a decade ago by the government of the Democratic Party prime minister, Matteo Renzi, in order to liberalise the labour market. Supporters say the act boosted employment but detractors say it made work more precarious. Under new leadership, the Democratic Party -- which is polling at around 23 percent, behind Meloni's Brothers of Italy at about 30 percent, according to an SWG survey this week -- is seeking to woo working-class voters by backing the referendum reform. str-ar/ide/ams/djt/dhw
ABC News
06-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Benalla business fined $255k for providing farm workers without labour hire licence
A regional Victorian horticulture company and two individuals at the business have been fined a quarter of a million dollars for breaching labour laws. The Supreme Court of Victoria found Cameron Workforce in Benalla contravened state labour laws by providing workers without a labour hire licence. The workers picked grapes and chestnuts on several farms in the Benalla region. The court imposed a $200,000 penalty on the business. It also ordered a company director to pay a $40,000 penalty, and another individual was fined $15,000 for their conduct. The hefty financial penalties come after the Labour Hire Authority (LHA) launched an investigation into overcrowded worker accommodation. The court found workers were housed in overcrowded and substandard housing owned by a company director. It found the business failed to provide workers with a number of entitlements, including written contracts or pay slips. Workers were not provided a minimum hourly rate under the industry award or superannuation contributions, and had their income tax withheld from wages. The court's findings and the financial penalty come after the company's bank account was frozen in 2023 following earlier court action taken by the LHA. The company had agreed not to provide labour hire without a licence. The authority said given the defendant's non-compliance with a range of laws, they would make referrals to other relevant regulators. Labour hire licensing commissioner Steve Dargavel said labour hire workers in the horticulture industry were among the state's most vulnerable. "The industry is a key focus for our expanded compliance and enforcement program," he said. "LHA will use all the tools at its disposal to remove exploitative businesses from the labour hire industry."
Arabian Business
01-06-2025
- General
- Arabian Business
Saudi Arabia arrested over 12,100 last week in residency and labour operations
Saudi Arabia arrested more than 12,100 people in the past week as it looks to stop residency, labour and security breaches. The inspection campaigns carried out between May 22 and May 28 in all regions of the Kingdom, to check compliance with residency, work and border security regulations, saw 12,129 violations recorded, including: 7,127 of residency 3,441 of border security 1,561 of labour laws Saudi residency, labour and security arrests 1,197 individuals were apprehended attempting to cross the border into the Kingdom illegally, of whom 34 per cent were Yemenis, 63 per cent Ethiopians, and 3 per cent of other nationalities. 90 people were arrested for attempting to leave the Kingdom illegally. 18 people involved in transporting, sheltering, and employing violators were arrested. A total of 19,238 expatriates (17,930 and 1,308 women) are currently undergoing procedures for enforcing regulations. 14,065 people were detained for violating laws and instructed to contact their countries' embassies or consulates to obtain proper travel documentation; 1,5336 were told to make booking arrangements for their departure, and 11,094 were repatriated. The Ministry of Interior has warned that any person who facilitates the illegal entry of individuals into the Kingdom, transports them on its territory, provides them with shelter or any other assistance or service may be penalised with up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to SR1m ($267,000), and that the vehicles used for transport or houses used for shelter may be confiscated. The ministry stressed that such acts are major crimes that warrant arrest. It also urges people to report any violations by calling 911 in the Makkah, Riyadh, and Eastern regions, and 999 and 996 in the rest of Saudi Arabia.
