Article 105 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 105 من نظام العمل · الباب السادس: شروط العمل وظروفه
Article 105 permits, as an exception, accumulating weekly rest days for workers in remote places and continuous operations for up to 8 weeks, provided the parties agree and the Ministry approves.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
استثناء من حكم المادة الرابعة بعد المائة من هذا النظام، يجوز في الأماكن البعيدة عن العمران وفي الأعمال التي تتطلب طبيعة العمل وظروف التشغيل فيها استمرار العمل تجميع الراحات الأسبوعية المستحقة للعامل عن مدة لا تتجاوز ثمانية أسابيع إذا اتفق صاحب العمل والعمال ووافقت على ذلك الوزارة، ويراعى في حساب مدة الراحة الأسبوعية المُجَمعة أن تبدأ من ساعة وصول العمال إلى أقرب مدينة يتوفر بها وسائل نقل، وتنتهي ساعة العودة إليها.
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 105 explained in plain English
Article 104 of the Labor Law sets the general rule: every worker has a weekly rest day with full pay of not less than 24 consecutive hours, and it may not be compensated with a cash payment. However, in some work locations this rule cannot be applied literally, such as fields and sites hundreds of kilometers from cities, or work whose nature requires operations to continue without stopping. For this reason Article 105 allows a specific, conditional exception.
What does the article permit? Accumulating the weekly rest days owed to the worker, instead of granting them each week separately, and then granting them in one block. For example, someone who works 6 continuous weeks is entitled to 6 accumulated rest days.
Conditions for applying the exception:
- The work must be in places far from populated areas, or in work whose nature and operating conditions require work to continue.
- The period of accumulation may not exceed 8 weeks at most.
- It must be by agreement between the employer and the workers; it may not be imposed by one party.
- The Ministry must approve this arrangement.
How is the accumulated rest period calculated? The article takes care that rest time is not consumed by travel, providing that the rest period starts from the hour the workers arrive at the nearest city with means of transport, and ends at the hour of return to it. That is, the time of travel from the remote site to that city and back is not counted within the rest days.
What does this mean for the worker? That the right to rest does not lapse and is not replaced with money, but is only deferred within clear time and procedural limits. If accumulation is applied without the workers' agreement or without the Ministry's approval or for a period exceeding 8 weeks, that violates the law, and the worker can go to the labor office or consult a lawyer who specializes in labor cases.
Note that Article 106 deals with other cases in which an employer may temporarily not adhere to the weekly rest day, such as annual inventory work or facing an unusual pressure of work, which is separate from the case of accumulation regulated in this article.
Practical example
Ahmed works as a technician for a company in Riyadh that operates a desert site far from cities, requiring continuous operation throughout the week. The company agreed with Ahmed and his colleagues on a system of 6 continuous weeks of work at the site followed by 6 accumulated rest days, and obtained the Ministry's approval. At the end of the cycle, the company transported the workers by bus, a journey of 5 hours, to the nearest city with an airport. Under Article 105, the six rest days begin from the hour Ahmed arrives in that city, not from the moment he leaves the site, and end at the hour of his return to it to go back to work, so the hours on the road are not deducted from his rest. Had the company wanted to extend the cycle to 10 continuous weeks, it would not have been permitted, because the maximum for accumulation is 8 weeks.
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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Active contributorFrequently asked questions about Article 105 of the Saudi Labor Law
Can an employer accumulate weekly rest days without the workers' agreement?
No. Article 105 requires the agreement of the employer and the workers together, in addition to the Ministry's approval, so the employer's decision alone is not enough.
What is the maximum period for accumulating weekly rest days?
It may not exceed 8 weeks, after which the worker must be given the accumulated rest due for that period.
Is travel time from the remote site counted within the accumulated rest period?
No. The rest period starts from the hour the workers arrive at the nearest city with means of transport and ends at the hour of return to it, so travel time falls outside this period.
Can accumulated weekly rest be replaced by a cash payment?
No. Article 105 permits only deferring and accumulating rest, while Article 104 prohibits compensating the weekly rest day with a cash payment.
Articles this article refers to
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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.