Saudi Arabia specifies domestic workers’ rights
Domestic worker entitled to paid month-long holiday on contract renewal, says ministry
Cairo: Saudi labour authorities have said that a domestic worker is entitled to get a paid month-long holiday in case of doing the job for two years and agreeing to renew the contract for a similar period.
The Ministry of Human Resources added that the domestic worker has also the right to a paid 30-day sick leave based on a medical report, Okaz newspaper reported.
The domestic worker is entitled to a daily rest of at least nine hours and a day off per week based on an agreement reached by both parties to the contract.
The ministry underlined the importance that the contract must specify the type of the job that the domestic worker will have to do, the worker’s wages that the employer is obliged to pay as well as rights and duties of both sides, the duration of the contract, its renewal method and the probation period.
The employer has the right to terminate the contract on his own during the probation period if the worker is found to be inefficient.
Moreover, the contract expires if the employer or the worker dies. If the employer’s family wishes to keep the domestic worker, they will have to check with the labour bureau, the ministry has explained.
Foreigners make up around 10.5 million of Saudi Arabia’s total population of 34.8 million.
In March, Saudi Arabia enforced major labour reforms, allowing job mobility and regulating the exit and re-entry visa issuance for expatriate workers without employers’ approval.