Article 32 of the Saudi Civil Service Law
المادة 32 من نظام الخدمة المدنية · الباب الثالث: أحكام عامة وانتقالية
Article 32 gives the head of an independent agency, with respect to his agency's employees, the powers the Minister has with respect to ministry employees.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يكون لرئيس المصلحة المستقلة بالنسبة لموظفي هذه المصلحة من الصلاحيات ما للوزير بالنسبة لموظفي الوزارة.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 32 explained in plain English
Not all government entities belong to a ministry; some are independent agencies headed by a head rather than a minister. This article therefore fills this gap in the application of the Civil Service Law.
The substance of the rule:
- The head of an independent agency exercises, over the employees of his agency, the same powers the Minister exercises over the employees of the ministry.
- These powers are confined to the employees of that agency itself and do not extend to employees of other entities.
Whenever the Civil Service Law gives the Minister a power over the employees of his ministry, the head of an independent agency has the same power over the employees of his agency.
This article is connected to Article 31, which allows the Minister to delegate some of his powers provided for in the Law. Article 32 does not expressly address the rule on delegation for the head of the agency; it gave him the Minister's powers in general.
The article does not specify which entities count as independent agencies; this cannot be drawn from its text. Anyone with a grievance against a decision issued by the head of an independent agency may consult a lawyer specializing in administrative and civil service cases.
Practical example
Sara is an employee at an independent government agency that does not belong to a ministry. When a matter of her employment calls for a decision that the Minister holds under the Civil Service Law, it is the head of the agency who holds the power to issue that decision for her and her colleagues in the agency.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 32 of the Saudi Civil Service Law
What powers does the head of an independent agency have over his employees?
With respect to the employees of his agency, he has the powers the Minister has with respect to the employees of the ministry.
Do the agency head's powers extend to employees of other entities?
The text confines these powers to the employees of the agency he heads.
More articles on General Provisions of the Civil Service
- Article 15 bis
تجعل المادة إدارة الموارد البشرية في كل جهة حكومية مسؤولة عن تطبيق النظام ولوائحه، وتلزم الإدارات بالرجوع إليها، والجهة بالرجوع إلى الوزارة فيما يعترضها.
- أُضيفت هذه المادة وذلك بموجب المرسوم الملكي رقم (م/95) وتاريخ 1439/9/15هـ، لتكون بالنص الآتي: "تتولى إدارة الموارد البشرية في الجهة الحكومية تطبيق أحكام هذا ا
- Article 31
Article 31 allows the Minister to delegate some of his powers under the Civil Service Law to others, without specifying to whom or which powers.
للوزير تفويض بعض صلاحياته المقررة في هذا النظام.
- Article 37Amended by M/139
Article 37 allows particular posts to be exempted from some provisions of the Civil Service Law, as the Regulation provides and in agreement with the Minister of Finance.
يجوز استثناء وظائف معينة من بعض أحكام هذا النظام وفق ما تنظمه اللائحة، وذلك بالاتفاق مع وزير المالية
- Article 37 bisAmended (1438 AH)
Article 37 bis applies the Civil Service Law to civil employees who hold permanent posts in the state's general budget, excluding employees of entities governed by special laws or regulations, within the limits those provide.
تسري أحكام هذا النظام على جميع الموظفين المدنيين الذين يشغلون وظائف ثابتة في الميزانية العامة للدولة، ويستثنى من تطبيق أحكامه موظفو الجهات الذين تسري في شأنهم أ
- Article 38
Article 38 provides that the Civil Service Law replaces the Employees Law (Royal Decree No. M/5 dated 1/2/1391 AH) for employees originally subject to it and for those whose own systems the Employees Law supplemented, within the limits those systems provide.
يحل هذا النظام محل نظام الموظفين الصادر بالمرسوم الملكي رقم م/5 وتاريخ 1 / 2 / 1391 هـ وذلك : أ - بالنسبة للموظفين الخاضعين بصفة أصلية لهذا النظام. ب - بالنسبة
- Article 39
Article 39 provides that the Council of Ministers issues the regulations of the Civil Service Law and may authorize the Minister of Civil Service to issue some of them.
يصدر مجلس الوزراء لوائح هذا النظام، وللمجلس تفويض وزير الخدمة المدنية في إصدار بعض منها
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.