sector workers are entitled to up to a 15-day holiday to perform Haj and all employees get four days of leave during Haj, starting from the 9th of Dhul Hijja (Nov.15), according to labor laws, said Ahmad Al-Obaid, director of the Labor Office in the Eastern Province. He warned business-owners against forcing their employees to work during the four-day Haj holiday, which constitutes a flagrant violation of the law. If private employees work during Haj, their four-day Haj holiday should be counted as overtime, said Al-Obaid, who added that security guards are particularly vulnerable to this violation. The law stipulates that any private-sector worker employed for two consecutive years is entitled to Haj leave once throughout their employment. The break must be a minimum of 10 days and a maximum of 15 days, he said. A provision in the law allows employers to determine the number of employees who benefit from the Haj holiday in any given year so the flow of work is not affected, he added. He said employees who are denied their holidays have the right to lodge a complaint with the Labor Office where they work. In a related development, the Ministry of Labor admitted its failure to meet its goal for field inspections of private-sector establishments and organizations, according to sources. Sources told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that inspectors made about 47,500 field-inspection tours of establishments, but the target was 270,000. The Ministry of Labor conducts the tours to monitor enforcement of labor laws such as those addressing working hours, wages and protection from accidents and occupational diseases. Inspectors have filed almost 1,100 cases in the interest of about 16,500 workers and the Higher Labor Commission has issued verdicts in 450 cases against establishments that violated labor regulations, officials said.
