RIYADH: A legal expert at the Ministry of Labor has denied that the Kingdom’s new labor law bans mingling of men and women in workplace.
“While article 166 of the old labor law prohibited men and women from mingling in workplace, the new law only stipulates that their employment should be in accordance with Islamic Shariah,” Al-Watan newspaper quoted the unnamed expert as saying.
The expert was clarifying comments made by Chairman of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Ibrahim Al-Ghaith at a recent event in Riyadh.
“The Ministry of Labor is the right authority to implement regulations regarding the employment of women. It should implement the labor law, including Chapter 10 that bans the mingling of men and women in workplace,” said Al-Ghaith while speaking at the opening function of the Khair Al-Ummah Forum on Friday.
“Other government departments that consider employing women in any establishment should inform the Ministry of Labor so that it may ensure the regulation concerning gender-mixing is observed,” he added.
The legal expert, who participated in drafting the new regulations, said there was no Chapter 10 in the new statute, adding that there is a Section 10 that deals with child labor.
He further said the clauses on women’s employment are discussed in Section 9, adding that the law does not contain the phrase “prohibition of mingling of men and women.”
Muhammad Al-Mushawweh, a Saudi legal consultant, said that if the chairman was seeking to back up his argument using an old or abrogated regulation then he should have clearly stated it was abrogated.
In his address, Al-Ghaith stressed that the commission does not oppose women sales personnel per se, but that they have to be in malls restricted to women. “The commission is against women working in commercial complexes where men are present,” he said.
Al-Ghaith however supported participation of women in all gatherings, provided these are within limits set by the Shariah.
