Saudi Gazette report RIYADH – The Shoura Council will again take up for discussion on Monday the issue of weekly work-hours and a two-day off for the private sector at the request of some of its members. These members called for a re-vote on these two issues which were already approved by the Council in its 56th session. Last December, the Shoura Council endorsed a proposal to reduce the weekly work-hours for private sector employees from 45 to 40 with a two-day weekend. Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Zamil, Chairman of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), was quoted as saying in a section of the Arabic press on Sunday that the Council's recommendations were not based on scientific studies. “The Ministry of Labor, which is responsible for workers' affairs, suggested that work-hours should be 45 a week with a day-two weekend. Why did the Council suggest a 40-hour week?,” asked Al-Zamil. Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid, Chairman of the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said a reduction in work-hours simply means an increase in expatriate remittances and hike in operational costs for businesses. Productivity will be affected and the employer will have to hire more workers to complete unfinished work. “It's a matter of efficiency and productivity. Before reducing weekly work-hours, we should study the effects of such a decision in terms of operational costs,” Al-Rashid said. He said that most expatriate workers come from work environments in their home countries that enforce a 48-hour-week system. “Long work-hours are not the reason why many Saudis don't prefer jobs at the private sector,” said Al-Rashid, and added that reducing work-hours won't solve the problem of the lack of Saudization in the private sector. The authorities planned to allow its private sector to have a two-day weekly holiday on par with its public sector in a bid to lure nationals into private jobs. According to studies, many Saudis prefer to work in the public sector mainly because it has shorter work-hours of 35 a week. Last December, Minister of Labor Adel Fakieh had announced that a 40-hour work week and a two-day weekend for private sector employees will come into force by August. The Shoura recommendations will become law once the Council of Ministers approve them. But some members invoked Article 21 of the Shoura law, which allows review of a decision prior to its submission to the King for endorsement. Most private-sector jobs are held by some 10m expatriates.
