ILO Urged Not to Dismiss Saudi Arabia Workers' Rights Complaint: Millions of Migrants at Risk

Last updated: 5 October 2026

Photo: saudi shop worker - edward musiak

Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and several other major rights organisations issued a joint statement on March 24, 2026 urging the International Labour Organization's Governing Body to reject Saudi Arabia's request to prematurely close an Article 26 complaint brought by African trade union groups against the Gulf state. The complaint, declared receivable at the previous Governing Body session, raises urgent concerns about Saudi Arabia's persistent failure to protect migrant workers from forced labour, wage theft, and dangerous working conditions.

The ILO Complaint and Saudi Arabia's Response

The Article 26 complaint against Saudi Arabia was submitted by African trade union groups and documents widespread abuses including illegal recruitment fees, deceptive hiring practices, wage theft, excessive working hours, unsafe conditions, and restrictions on freedom of movement. The case came up for review at the ILO's 356th Governing Body Session, which opened on March 23, 2026.

Saudi Arabia's government responded by calling for the complaint to be dismissed, citing recent reforms and procedural arguments. However, the signatories of the joint statement note that the Saudi response "fails to present credible data or evidence that these reforms are being implemented effectively" and does not demonstrate how workers' living and working conditions have actually improved.

The Saudi government also sought to undermine victim testimony by pointing to its anonymous presentation — ignoring that the fear of reprisals is credible for workers under an oppressive sponsorship system, in a country that severely restricts freedom of expression and criminalises human rights defenders. Disturbingly, Saudi authorities explicitly named the leader of one of the African trade union originators of the complaint in their response, exposing them to potential retaliation.

The Kafala System and Ongoing Abuses

Despite some legislative changes, Saudi Arabia's kafala (visa sponsorship) system remains largely intact, keeping millions of migrant workers legally bound to their employers and at risk of exploitation. Migrant domestic workers and agricultural workers have been largely excluded from recent reforms and continue to face heightened risks due to their ongoing exclusion from core labour protections.

Labour inspections remain weak and have been further undermined by recent reductions in sanctions for labour violations — cutting by more than two-thirds the penalties for employers who confiscate workers' passports and deny them weekly rest. The government's own data reveals that labour inspections focus overwhelmingly on monitoring company compliance with Saudi hiring quotas rather than protecting migrant workers.

Call to the ILO

The organisations warned that closing the complaint prematurely would "deter trade unionists and migrant worker rights' advocates from pursuing the Article 26 complaint mechanism as a viable avenue for enforcing their ILO Convention rights." They called on the Governing Body to keep the complaint open until there is meaningful, verifiable change for the migrant workers concerned.

Signatories to the statement include Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, ALQST for Human Rights, Equidem, FairSquare, and MRRO, among others.

Source: Human Rights Watch — ILO: Don't Let Saudis Dismiss Workers' Rights Complaint (March 24, 2026)