A committee formed by the Interior Ministry has approved new rules to address several types of worker strikes.

The committee, consisting of members from the ministry and the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution, has stated that local governorates will be responsible for handling the mediation process between companies and workers.

The approval, which came in line with an earlier royal decree on the same issue, addresses cases involving employees leaving work without prior notice or workers staging strikes, mass crowding and sit-ins in order to enforce demands in both private and public sector companies.

The governorate will be responsible for investigating strikes and sit-ins and ascertaining whether they were staged to voice legitimate demands or disrupt public order.

Workers found guilty of creating unrest or infringing on the stability of vital or high-risk establishments will be referred to the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution, said one source.

The committee also approved procedures to be taken against entities who fail to implement the new regulations.