Saudi Arabia approves rules for 'part-time work'
Rules to come into effect in July
Dubai: The Saudi Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Ahmed Al Rajhi has approved the terms and conditions for “part-time work”, which will come into effect as of July, according to the daily Okaz Newspaper.
According to the new regulations, the working hours for part time employees should be half the normal working hours in the business and only Saudi nationals will be entitled for this system.
Any employee working on a part-time contract in an enterprise owned by a Saudi employer, will be counted in the Saudization percentages (Nitaqat). They will also be registered in the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) as a part time worker.
The employer will not be obliged to compensate part time employees for paid leaves, including annual leave, occasion leaves, and sick leave. Meanwhile, the worker will not be subject to a probation period, but his work contract will be subject to the pensions branch of GOSI.
The Saudi part-time worker will be deemed a third of a fulltime Saudi employee, in the Saudization percentages.
The new conditions stipulate that a part-time worker should complete a total of 168 hours of work. Their salaries will be based on an hourly wage and will be paid every month or as the two parties agree upon, according to the Saudi Gazette.
The regulations also stipulate that a part-time worker should not be compelled to work for more than 95 hours per month for a single employer. The worker on a flexible contract system has the right to accept or refuse to work, any time he is asked to, without any measures being taken against him.
The work contract should be for a specific period with a specified hourly wage, and it is permissible to specify or amend the work duty hours, depending on agreement between the two parties.
To employ workers on the “flexible work” system, the contract must be attested at the portal specified by the ministry. Disputes that might arise regarding the “part time work” or “flexible work” contract will be looked into by the labor courts, as such contracts come under their jurisdiction.