SAUDI EXPATRIATES

The regulations specified that, a maximum fine of 2000 riyals or a one year ban from recruitment will be imposed, if an employer mistreats his domestic workers (male or female). The legislation also made it clear that domestic workers would be subject to penalized, if they disclosed the sensitive information about their employers.

- These disciplinary actions will be based on Section 2 of Article 7 of the Saudi Labor Law, which aims to govern the connection between the two parties so that the domestic worker is not assigned to any hazardous task that endangers their health, the safety of his body, or degrades his human dignity. See Also : Receiving domestic workers is the responsibility of the employer in Saudi Arabia

- The regulations specified that domestic workers who violate it would face a fine of no more than 2,000 riyals, a lifetime ban from working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, or a combination of the two.

- In case that the fines are multiplied by the number of violations of domestic worker, then the cost of returning to his country to bear by the worker only. In case the domestic worker is unable to pay the fines, then the worker will send back at the expense of the state.

- According to the regulation, these fines must be deposited in a bank account to make it easier to distribute them for the accommodation and deportation of domestic workers as well as for workers, in accordance with a process authorized by the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development. Recommend : 7 conditions for transferring domestic worker services

- The rules made it clear that the domestic worker had to carry out the agreed-upon work in order to avoid being fined and deported. They also required them to abide by the employer's and his family members instructions about the execution of the agreed upon duties.

- The domestic worker is required to protect the employer's property, and not to harm family members, including children and the elderly and to keep private any information about the employer or family members that he knows while working or as a result of his position.

- The new regulations added the penalties against employer, who commits violations, with a fine not more than 2000 riyals or recruitment ban for one year or both. Most Viewed : More freedom to domestic workers on job transfers

- In case of repeating the violation, the employee will be penalized with a fine of not less than 2,000 riyals and not more than 5,000 riyals, a 3-year recruitment ban, or both. In case the violations is repeated for the third time, then the concerned committee will impose a permanent recruitment ban.

- According to the Article 7 of the regulations, the employer is also required to not assign the domestic worker any other work, except in cases of necessity, provided that the work he is assigned to is not fundamentally different from the original work assigned.

- The employer is required to pay the domestic worker the agreed-upon salary each month, unless the two parties otherwise agree in writing, and to pay the wage and its entitlements in cash or cheque, and document this in writing, unless the worker wishes to transfer it to his bank account, while allowing the worker to enjoy daily rest for a period of not less than 9 hours per day. Read : Mid day work ban in Saudi Arabia

- The regulations preserved Article 9 on deductions to no more than half of the wage without making any changes. It highlighted that unless anything was harmed intentionally or negligently, no deductions should be made.