RIYADH – The Council of Ministers has approved 38 amendments to the labor regulations, Minister of Labor Adel Fakeih said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency on Sunday. A worker's leave in case of his wife delivering a child has been extended to three days from one day, according to the amendments which will be effective six months after their publication in the official gazette. A worker will get a five-day leave instead of three days in case of death of his/her kin or wife or husband. Marriage leave has been extended to five days instead of three days. According to the new amendments, a working woman has the right to space out her fully paid maternity leave the way she likes. It starts with a maximum of four weeks before the likely date of delivery. She has the right to extend the leave for one month without pay. This will not affect her entitlement or payment for annual leave. The period for financial assistance for a work-related injury has been increased from 30 days to 60 days. The ‘Iddah' (the period a Muslim woman must observe after the death of her spouse or after a divorce) leave for a woman whose husband has died is four months and 10 days. As per the approval of the Cabinet, the Ministry of Labor will issue bylaws for some categories which are exempt from labor laws like domestic workers, agricultural workers, shepherds, maritime workers working in ships with a load of at least 500 tons, and non-Saudis who have come to carry out a specific task for a period not exceeding two months. Fakeih said the new amendments give the ministry the right not to renew work permits of the employers who violate the criterion for Saudization of jobs. The percentage for training of Saudi workers has been raised from 6 to 12 of the total number of workers annually for an employer who has 50 workers or more.
