Saudi Arabia is reportedly shelving plans to bring in a 40-hour working week for the private sector that includes giving employees two days off per week.
The plan by Saudi Arabia’s labour ministry has hit the buffers following pressure from investors and the business community, it was reported on Wednesday.
A draft of the new labour law initially stipulated a 40-hour working week, down from 48, for all employees in the private sector, Gulf News reported, citing an article in Saudi daily Makkah.
It said the two-day weekend was part of plans to motivate Saudi men and women to join the private sector instead of insisting on securing a job in the more attractive public sector where employees enjoy Fridays and Saturdays off.
In February, the Shoura Council, a government advisory body, backed the plan to bring the kingdom into line with other Gulf states but the change had not yet been ratified by King Abdullah.
The Shoura Council’s backing sparked strong opposition from the likes of the Council of Saudi Chambers, a collective of regional business chambers, which urged the Shoura Council to reconsider its decision.
It argued that the reduced working hours would increase business and labour costs.
The CSC said the decision would cause businesses to lose money, increase the prices of goods and services and make Saudi exports less competitive.
It added that the changes would particularly hurt contracting, operations and maintenance companies, and labour costs would rise if businesses had to pay workers overtime to meet deadlines on government projects.
Saudi Arabia is home to around nine million foreigners, mainly unskilled workers from Asian countries in the construction and service sectors.
source: arabianbusiness.com
Tags: Arab countries laws, laws, Saudi Working hours
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