RIYADH, 17 June — Implementation of the new labor law will be delayed for some more time, a high-ranking official indicated.
The bill has been returned by the secretariat of the Council of Ministers to the experts committee following objections raised by the private sector and clarifications demanded by some ministries, Muhammad Al-Doweish, director general of legal affairs at the Labor and Social Affairs Ministry, told Arab News.
“The new labor regulations will not be issued in the immediate future as it has to be subjected to further studies by the experts committee of the Council of Ministers. This is because the new regulations contain disputable clauses such as the one which says that a worker dismissed arbitrarily has no right to demand his reinstatement, but only the right to request for a monetary compensation,” he said.
This means the draft bill requires longer time for studies and analyses.
It also has to be passed by the Shoura Council, which will not allow conditions to harm workers’ interests to be incorporated in the proposed regulations.
The bill also stipulates 75 percent Saudization in the private sector.
The WTO, to which the Kingdom hopes to join, insists on 25 percent employment opportunity for expatriates in countries which join it.
The ministries of labor and social affairs, commerce, industry and electricity and interior will also examine the new regulations before being endorsed. The copies of the bill have been distributed to all government departments, which wanted more clarification.
The contractors’ committee affiliated to the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry has expressed fears about the harm the clauses would do to the interests of the private sector.
It pointed out that it will be a great burden on the employer if he has to bear the fees for recruitment, residence permit, re-entry and final exit, sponsorship transfer and work permit.
