Dubai: Saudi Arabia has brought in a new labour law with a host of mandatory obligations for employers, including signing a written contract, a move widely hailed by expatriate workers as towards ending their exploitation.
The new law which came into effect on Sunday, replaces a 37-year-old legislation. It, however, does not contain any provision to prevent abuse of housemaids.
The law obliges the employer to bear all expenses from the time of recruitment through the worker's tenure for payment of residence and work permit fees and their renewal.
In case of death of an employee, the employer is also liable to pay for repatriation of the body, Saudi Labour Minister Gazi Al Gosaibi said in a press statement.
He said more categories of employees, including domestic workers, will be covered under the new law which regulates the relationship between the employer and employee in a transparent manner.
Under the new legislation it is mandatory for an employer to sign a written contract with a foreign worker with period of the contract mentioned. The employees are entitled to sick leave upto 30 days with full pay, followed by 60 days of leave with three-quarter pay.
The new law also raises the annual leave from 15 to 21 days which could be increased up to 30 days for those who have remained with the same employer for five years.
The retirement age is 60 for men and 55 for women workers and those above this age can continue service if both parties agreed, he said.
Expatriates have welcomed the new law.
According to Arab News, a distinctive feature of the new law is its provision for a second labour court.
"Such a move could make a dent in the backlog of cases, some of which have been dragging on for three years or more with no end in sight. The upgrading of judicial committees to judicial commissions is expected to address some of these
concerns," the report stated.
Also, in event of death, the employer has to bear charges for transporting the worker's body to the place from where he was hired.
This is a significant provision, since expatriates had been complaining for a long time about the lack of a legal provision requiring payment of airfare by the employer in the event of the employee's death.
Previously, such expenses were either borne by the expatriates or by the Embassy of the country to which the dead belonged.
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