Rights & Attitudes

Khalid, my boss, is quickly becoming a conversation-buddy of mine with topics ranging from health insurance (his pet interest) to the Israel-Palestinian war to evidence-based practice, to education to the US government. I discovered this week that he is a very well known and respected columnist for a daily paper.

Recently, Khalid mentioned to me that a certain senior employee of the hospital had made it clear that all our policies needed to meet the UN Human Rights Charter. I laughed, thinking that he was kidding (I mean, of course), but he was serious. I quickly said that as far as I was aware of the charter, (admittedly not aware of the finer details) that the existing policies met all the requirements, particularly because we feed, water and provide a nice roof for our patients (!) but I agreed to obtain a copy of the charter. I was quite surprised to find that one of the articles states that it is a right to obtain equal pay for equal work without discrimination. It is widely known that the Kingdom does not provide equal pay for equal work. Salaries are dependent firstly on your country (or zone) of origin, then your education and experience. It is something that I’ve found difficult to come to terms with here, particularly because the difference in pay for those employees from the Far East in comparison to those from the West. The salary difference is dramatic. Naturally, it causes some friction, which I’ve addressed in previous posts. The treatment of, way of speaking to and expectations of certain nationalities here often upsets me.

I was unsure about how to bring this up with Khalid, so I gingerly brought up the topic and was very surprised at his response. He genuinely believed that zone-based salaries existed all over the world, including NZ & Australia. I explained that in general, salaries are based on experience and education, and not at all linked to place of origin. He then said he thought the charter doesn’t take into account zone of origin. I carefully said that I thought without discrimination meant without zones. He didn’t agree, but was open to the possibility. His final comment floored me. He said “well, I’m sure it’s because you don’t have any “nationality” working in Australia. I caught my breath and assured him that we did, and that they are paid the same wage based on experience. Khalid took my print-out of the charter and highlighted it. I’m not sure whether he plans to address it, but if you see anything in the news about the salaries changing dramatically at a hospital in the Kingdom, you know it started with me!

Reflecting on this conversation, I think what surprises me the most is the ignorance. Khalid is a kind, well-educated, intelligent and delightful man who has spent a few years living in a Western country. He genuinely believes that zone-payments are reasonable, and believed that it is standard practice all over the world. His lack of knowledge has changed my perspective on some of the attitudes and behaviours that frustrate me here. Perhaps there isn’t as much deliberate arrogance as I suspected. I don’t think ignorance is an excuse, but it does make me react more kindly to those attitudes, and encourages me to address the topics in conversation, in as much as I have a little understanding.