Saudi Arabia: Maternity leave increased to 12 weeks from 10
Cabinet approves substantial amendments to Labour Law
Dubai: The Saudi Cabinet has approved substantial amendments to the Labour Law, including a significant increase in maternity leave from 10 to 12 weeks.
This change, approved during Tuesday’s meeting, is aimed at creating a more attractive work environment and support sustainable development in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development outlined that the amendments revise 38 articles, eliminate seven and introduce two new articles to match international labour standards.
These changes are scheduled to take effect 180 days after their publication in the official Gazette.
The key updates are designed to enhance the labour market in Saudi Arabia by improving job stability, safeguarding contractual rights and fostering professional development and training opportunities for workers.
The revisions also aim to increase employment prospects for Saudi citizens and include expanded definitions and guidelines on resignations, assignments, and grievance procedures for workers.
The second introduces three days of paid leave for workers in the event of the death of a sibling.
The third adds provisions to the training contract, specifying the rights and duties of both trainees and employers.
The fourth increases maternity leave for working women to 12 weeks.
The fifth allows for the possibility of agreeing to paid leave in lieu of overtime wages.
The sixth amendment establishes a mechanism for determining and renewing the duration of contracts for non-Saudi workers if the contract does not specify a duration.
The seventh specifies that the trial period in labour contracts must not exceed 180 days in total.
The eighth introduces definitions for “resignation” and “assignment,” and includes an article detailing the procedures for resignation.
The ninth adds a condition related to bankruptcy proceedings, stipulating that a final court decision or judgment is required to terminate a worker’s contract as part of bankruptcy proceedings in accordance with the Bankruptcy Law.
The tenth revises the notice period for terminating an indefinite contract, setting it at 30 days if the termination is initiated by the worker and 60 days if initiated by the employer.
Penalties
Further, the amendments introduce penalties for employing workers without proper licensing and mandate employers to establish specific policies for training and qualifying employees, enhancing their skills and standards, particularly in maritime jobs.
The ministry conducted a comprehensive review of these changes through the Istitlaa survey platform managed by the National Competitiveness Centre, gathering over 1,300 contributions from stakeholders, including private sector entities, government agencies, labour committees, and human resources experts.
In the same session, the Cabinet also endorsed a new law for fundraising, discussed international cooperation, and reviewed humanitarian efforts by King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), which has undertaken projects in 100 countries.