Understanding employment law in the kingdom of saudi arabia background understanding employment law in the kingdom of saudi arabia is important for any business operating in, or seeking to enter, the saudi market. Data protection and privacy laws in the middle east. Subject to the provision of article 2 of this law, the labour law for the private sector promulgated by virtue decree law no. Englishspeaking commonlaw countries canada, new zealand and the united kingdom. As part of saudi arabias vision 2020 plan, in january 20 the saudi government introduced an expatriate levy of sar 200 per expatriate per month for entities where the expatriate workforce population was more than saudi nationals employed. The kingdoms employment legislative framework is based on the twin pillars of the labour law approved by royal decree m51 in 2005, as amended and the implementing regulations of the labour law. Findings on the worst forms of child labor yemen u. Saudi labor laws and violations of expats in saudi arabia. Switzerland and saudi arabia, there is a tenuredependent separation indemnity, which. Links provide access to primary documents, legal commentary, and general government information about specific jurisdictions and topics. If your employer is asking you to work more than that, you are actually entitled to overtime of 1. The labor new rule and regulation adopted by the council of the. It has been announced by the ministry of labour that these will be implemented six months after the date of its publication and therefore it is expected that these will be implemented on the 24 october 2015. Although it is not covered by the contract, saudi labor law sets a maximum limit of 48 working hours in a week.
Labor law, 2006, ministry of labor, multimedia house, saudi arabia, first edition in english and arabic unofficial english translation pdf doc. Read saudi arabia newspapers including saudi arabia economy top stories and breaking saudi news online. It also includes an essential part of your employment. The sources of sharia also include islamic scholarly consensus developed after muhammads death. Termination of employment in saudi arabia by admin march 9, 2012 146 comments this article will discuss what could happen to you if you find yourself victim of termination of employment in saudi arabia and where you would stand according to saudi labor law and what you can do about it. The english version of the following documents is for guidance only. Foreign investment act and executive rules 2000 plus.
Saudi abuses against migrants during mass expulsions hrw. In september 20, ksa commenced the implementation of the wage. The awareness of these laws for expatriates is really beneficial many cases are registered against companies who brain wash employees and dont gave them the leaves which they have to be given. However, complications with border disputes between oman, saudi arabia. The employment law framework in saudi arabia is based on the labour and workmen.
M51, 23 shaban 1426 27 september 2005 disclaimer this english language text is not an official translation and is provided for information purposes only. The arabic text is the official text that has legal force. Saudis minister of labour and social development has issued a ministerial order revising the labour law s executive regulations. If the worker is absent from work for more than 30 days without any valid reason in one year or for more than 15 consecutive days provided that the employer has sent him written warnings. Saudi labor law english ahmed varachia ahmed varachia. This new version contains a translation of the new domestic servants law. It confers no rights and imposes no obligations separate from those conferred or imposed by the original arabic legislation formally. The labor law requires employers to have in place an internal work policy governing. Saudi arabian latest labor laws and amendments in case of leave, holidays, vacation of workers and employees. Saudi labor law updated 2017 overview of ksa labor. Saudi labor and social development ministry introduced the first wave of updates to the wage protection system wps, showing commitment towards regulating nationwide payrolls and ensuring that enterprises pay their employees. Article 2 the following terms and phrases, whenever mentioned in this law, shall have the meanings expressed next to them, unless the context requires otherwise.
The world economic forums 2016 global gender gap report ranked saudi arabia 141 out of 144 countries for gender parity, down from 4 out of 145 in 2015. Accordingly, it firstly discusses the importance of english law in international business practice and then briefly presents its current use in the middle east in general, and in saudi arabia in. It confers no rights and imposes no obligations separate from those conferred or imposed by the original arabic legislation formally adopted. Saudi updates the wage protection system wps asharq al. Also our thanks to my long time colleague and friend mr. While working in saudi arabia, your employment contract indicates your job description, salary, and other details. Governmental and public organization employees including those workers in pastures. Saudi arabia 1 oecd epl database, update 20 saudi arabia items regulations in force on 1 january 2012 1. Eu employment law protects the rights of workers across the eu. Of this spending, a significant proportion is forecast to be on servers and storage, which is underpinned by the construction of tier 3 and tier 4 data centers. This guide to law online saudi arabia contains a selection of saudi arabian legal, juridical, and governmental sources accessible through the internet. An employment contract binding an employer and an employee against of specific wagesalary. Francis oca in providing me the copy of the above new saudi labor law english translation in pdf file in which the undersigned converted it to a word file for easy reference to all our.
Foreign workers in saudi arabia, estimated to number about 9 million as of april 20, began migrating to the country soon after oil was discovered in the late 1930s. In april 20, the mol announced that it would promulgate legislation for the. Labour law state of qatar philippine embassy in doha. Labor law, 2006, ministry of labor, multimedia house, saudi arabia, first edition in english and arabic unofficial english translation pdf unofficial english.
The levy is scheduled to rise each year through to 2020. The english version of this document is for guidance only. M24 dated 24 march 20, and as amended pursuant to royal decree no. The new labor law, which has been amended by the shoura council recently, offers a range of incentives to both saudi and foreign workers in the private sector. Saudi labor law english version free download as word doc.
Saudi labor laws of leaves or vacations in 2020 arabian. Severance redundancy pay according to saps saudi arabia page, saudi labor law stipulates end of service eos payments are to be calculated based on the average wages plus housing allowance and service years an employee has worked, unless the employee was terminated due to gross misconduct if terminated by employer the severance is equal to the wages. A matter of vital importance to the foreign workers is that, before they can participate in any work, they need to obtain from the ministry of labor a work permit, according to article 33 of the labor law. The amendments include a table of labour law violations corresponding penalties, some which are new or updated with increased fines. Labor law enforcement research did not find information on whether labor law enforcement agencies in yemen took actions to combat child labor during the reporting period.
Aramco for their laudable effort in the translation of the new saudi labor law to english language. The labor market needs to accommodate this large number of workers every year, estimated to be around 300,000 fakieh, 20, making up almost half the unemployed population of 622,533 central department of statistics, 20. It confers no rights and imposes no obligations separate from those conferred or imposed by the original arabic legislation formally adopted and published. In the application of the provisions of this law a calendar year is 365 days and. Kingdom of saudi arabia capital market authority regulatory rules and procedures issued pursuant to the companies law relating to listed joint stock companies english translation of the official arabic text issued by the board of the capital market authority pursuant to resolution no. Regulatory rules and procedures issued pursuant to new. Understanding employment law in the kingdom of saudi arabia. Type of change text the new version impactchange 5 partial deletion this law is applicable on the following. Article 8 dates and periods stipulated herein shall be construed according to the gregorian calendar.
This english translation of the regulations is for general information only. New executive regulations of the ksa labour law lexology. By the end of your probation period, you have the right to ask for a proper contract. M46 of 05061436 were published in the official gazette no. The labour law contains detailed provisions that address matters such as recruitment, employment of saudi and non saudi. Any contract under which any person undertakes to work for the account of an employer under the latters direction or control in consideration of a wage. Oman labour law oman labour law disclaimer this english language text is not an official translation and is provided for information purposes only. In a previous article, we talked about policies on wages, as prescribed under the saudi labor law. Saudi arabia introduces new amendments to labour law. M46 of 05051436h came into force on 18 october 2015. The amendments to the saudi labour royal decree no.
Its interpretation by judges in saudi arabia is influenced by the medieval texts of the literalist hanbali school of islamic jurisprudence. An international guide to employment law across 28. Normally as per the saudi labor law, the kafeel to whom which the employee is transferring will bear all of the expenditures relevant to the iqama transfer fee. According to the latest available information on this topic, in 2016, the republic of yemen government was unable to enforce child labor laws due to the civil war. Reproduced with permission from law business research ltd. Today, we are going to focus on working periods regular hours, overtime hours, and their corresponding wages. The reforms follow the saudi ministry of labors ongoing efforts to strike a balance between the creation of a dynamic marketplace for foreign businesses and protection and development of the. Read here for further details working hours and overtime. Definitions article 1 this law shall be called the labor law. The new implementing regulations to the saudi arabian labor law. Probation rules under saudi labor law absent from work.
The labor law applies to both saudinational workers as well as foreign workers. Saudi labor law english version employment working time. What are the rights of expatriates under the saudi labor law. The legal system of saudi arabia is based on sharia, islamic law derived from the quran and the sunnah the traditions of the islamic prophet muhammad. If is is written in arabic, ask for it to be translated to english the maximum number of working hours in saudi arabia is 48 hours week. Also, you can view the labor law in the bureau of experts at the council of ministers by clicking here. The new amendments to the saudi arabian labor laws initially announced in a royal decree no. Normes original text, 2009, ministry of labour, saudi arabia, 120 p.
During the late 20th and early 21st centuries, womens rights in saudi arabia have been severely limited in comparison to the rights of women in many of its neighboring countries due to the strict interpretation and application of sharia law. Initially, the main influx was composed of arab and western technical, professional and administrative personnel, but subsequently substantial numbers came from southeast asia saudi arabia has become increasingly dependent on. You can find information pertaining to united arab emirates labor law both in the. A new look at employment protection legislation oecd. If your employer asks to extend your probation period, do not accept his offer as this is against the law. Termination without notice article 80 of saudi labor law. Part i definitions and general provisions scope, language to be used, workplace records, etc. In each case, the arabic version is the governing text. Saudi arabia introduces new amendments to labour law regulations. Newly updated november 20, this bestselling handbook on saudi labor law is full of critical information for the new saudi employee or the employer who seeks to recruit staff for the kingdom. A and increase its efficiency and productivity in a manner that achieves the national developmental economic mobility. This english language text is not an official translation and is provided for information purposes only.
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