JEDDAH, 23 March 2006 — A male employee’s work contract will automatically be canceled when he reaches the age of 60; the age for women is 55. This is in line with the new Labor Law scheduled to be implemented from the 13th of next month, the Arabic daily Al-Watan reported yesterday.
The suspension of Article 75 pertaining to the provision of a worker’s termination is a special feature of the new law. Those who are working in the field of sport clubs such as players are, however, exempt from the provision.
Ali Al-Ghamdi, chairman of the primary committee for workers’ problems in Makkah, said the implementation of the new work regulations would also be accompanied by the conversion of the judicial committees to judicial commissions.
It is also stipulated that work and related matters will be determined by the contract agreement signed by the worker and his/her employer. Deploying a worker on assignments other than his profession for a period of not more than 30 days is also permitted. Annual leave will be increased to 30 days from 21 after the worker has completed five years of service. He will also eligible for 120 days of medical leave or leave without pay instead of the present 90 days. The law also specifies that a worker will be entitled to a single Haj during his service though he is entitled to a 10-day Eid Al-Adha vacation. He will not be eligible for Eid and medical leave during the probation period, which may be extended if both the parties agree.
A terminated worker is bound by the regulations not to reveal professional secrets and other information related to his work or his former customers for a period of not more than two years after the termination or as agreed by both parties.
It was clarified earlier that women would be allowed to work in all fields that are considered suitable for them. They will be entitled to maternity leave of four weeks before and six weeks after childbirth. According to the new law, an employer providing jobs to 50 women or more must arrange for baby-sitters to take care of their children aged less than six.
The law instructs the Labor Ministry to establish employment offices to provide free service to Saudi job seekers and employers. These offices will register the names of Saudis of working age. Employers have been instructed to inform the offices of job vacancies, types of jobs, conditions and salaries. The rate of Saudization of jobs in private companies will be raised to 75 percent with the implementation of the new law.
According to Abdul Majeed Al-Naseer, a senior official at the Labor Office in the Eastern Province, the new law, which has 245 articles, insists that employers provide training to at least six percent of their Saudi workers annually.
In another development, an official of the Ministry of Social Affairs said all senior citizens on the list of the social insurance scheme would be eligible to recruit housemaids and drivers. Their need for help, however, must be medically attested, Al-Jazirah newspaper reported yesterday.
