Saudis hotels want women chefs
Riyadh (AsiaNews) - Saudi women can work as a chef in hotels, provided their work space is separate from those of men, with different entrances and toilets. With the start of the tourist season, in fact, hotels have asked the Ministry of Labour to allow them to employ Saudi women as chefs.
Al-Riyadh reports the comments of the Ministry Labour chief for the Eastern Province, Omair Al-Zahrani, who stated that the ministry always encourages and supports women's employment in various sectors, provided that their work does not conflict with Islamic teachings and the female nature.
"The ministry – he said - has constricting regulations on women working in hotels because there has been a record of hotels violating the ministry’s regulations on women employment." In this regard, he mentioned hotels "who have employed women as receptionists, forcing them to interact with men".
He said women may work in places where they are not obliged to constantly deal with men, they have their own entrances and exits to the workplace and they have their own rest rooms and facilities.
"The ministry’s regulations do not prohibit women working as chefs at a hotel as long as her work environment is clear of men and she has the freedom to use the rest rooms available for her."
The newspaper interviewed a woman, Samar Mohammad, who runs a homemade food business but would like to join the job market and work at a hotel. She said: “I have applied to many hotels and places. There is a stigma against Saudi women working as chefs in hotels”. “They always believe more in the foreign chef who has exotic taste and years of experience. Hotels do not want to put in the time and effort to train us when I have the right to be employed as a citizen". "If we were able to work in hotels, especially international ones - she added - the national cooking industry will leap in quality and experience. “Saudi society will have better food quality in any other services such as school cafeterias " .
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27/09/2017 10:13
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