Article 108 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 108 من نظام العمل · الباب السادس: شروط العمل وظروفه
Article 108 exempts four categories from the daily and weekly working-hour limits in Article 98 and the rest-period rules in Article 101, leaving the Implementing Regulations to specify the work and its maximum hours.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
لا تسري أحكام المادتين الثامنة والتسعين والأولى بعد المائة من هذا النظام على الحالات الآتية :
1 - الأشخاص الذين يشغلون مناصب عالية ذات مسؤولية في الإدارة والتوجيه، إذا كان من شأن هذه المناصب أن يتمتع شاغلوها بسلطات صاحب العمل على العمال.
2 - الأعمال التجهيزية أو التكميلية التي يجب إنجازها قبل ابتداء العمل أو بعده.
3 - العمل الذي يكون متقطعًا بالضرورة.
4 - العمال المخصصون للحراسة والنظافة، عدا عمال الحراسة الأمنية المدنية.
وتحدد اللائحة الأعمال المبينة في الفقرات 2، 3، 4 من هذه المادة والحد الأقصى لساعات العمل فيها.
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 108 explained in plain English
Article 98 of the Labor Law sets the maximum actual working hours (8 hours a day or 48 hours a week, reduced in Ramadan for Muslims to 6 hours a day or 36 hours a week), and Article 101 regulates rest periods so that a worker does not work more than 5 consecutive hours without a rest of not less than half an hour, or stay at the workplace more than 12 hours a day. Article 108 provides that these two articles do not apply to four specific cases:
- Holders of senior positions with responsibility for management and direction, provided their positions give them the employer's powers over the workers; the job title alone is not enough, and what counts is that this actual authority exists.
- Preparatory or complementary work that must be completed before work begins or after it ends.
- Work that is necessarily intermittent, that is, work which by its nature is interspersed with periods of stoppage.
- Guard and cleaning workers, with an express exception for civilian security guard workers, who remain subject to Articles 98 and 101.
It is important to note the following:
- By the wording of the article, the exemption is limited to Articles 98 and 101 only, and the article does not mention other provisions such as Article 107 on overtime pay or Article 109 on annual leave.
- The exemption is not absolute; the article tasks the Implementing Regulations with specifying the work meant in paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 and with setting the maximum working hours in them, so an employer cannot classify any work as it wishes or employ these workers without a ceiling.
- Paragraph 1 (senior positions) was not referred to the Regulations, and it is enough there that the condition of holding the employer's powers is met.
Anyone who believes their employer has placed them in one of these categories without its conditions applying to them would do well to consult a labor lawyer to check their position in light of the law and its Regulations.
Practical example
A company in Riyadh works on a standard of 8 hours a day, and Faisal holds the position of chief executive manager, under which he has the power to hire, dismiss and direct workers, so the limits in Articles 98 and 101 do not apply to him under paragraph 1 of Article 108. At the same company, Saad works as a civilian security guard in uniform, so he remains subject to the ceiling on working hours and the rest periods because the article expressly excludes civilian security guards from the exemption. Ahmed, the cleaning worker, falls under paragraph 4, but his working hours remain bound by the maximum set by the Implementing Regulations.
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 108 of the Saudi Labor Law
Is every manager exempt from working-hour limits under Article 108?
No. Paragraph 1 requires the position to be a senior one with responsibility for management and direction, and its holder must enjoy the employer's powers over the workers. A managerial title alone is not enough for the exemption.
Are security guards subject to the working hours set in the Labor Law?
Yes. Article 108 exempts guard workers from the limits of Articles 98 and 101, but it expressly takes civilian security guard workers out of this exemption, so they remain subject to those limits.
Does the exemption mean these categories work with no maximum on hours?
No. The article provides that the Regulations specify the work in paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 and the maximum working hours in them, so the exemption from Articles 98 and 101 does not mean all ceilings are removed.
Exactly which provisions does Article 108 exempt from?
Only the provisions of Article 98 (8 hours a day or 48 a week, and 6 or 36 in Ramadan) and Article 101 (no more than 5 consecutive hours without a break and no staying more than 12 hours at the workplace); it does not mention other articles.
Articles this article refers to
- Article 98
Article 98 sets the maximum actual working hours at 8 hours a day or 48 hours a week, reduced for Muslims during Ramadan to 6 hours a day or 36 a week.
لا يجوز تشغيل العامل تشغيلًا فعليًّا أكثر من ثماني ساعات في اليوم الواحد، إذا اعتمد صاحب العمل المعيار اليومي، أو أكثر من ثمان وأربعين ساعة في الأسبوع، إذا اعتم
- Article 101Amended (1436 AH)
Article 101 requires working days to be organized so that a worker does not work more than 5 consecutive hours without a rest of at least half an hour, or stay at the workplace more than 12 hours a day.
تنظم ساعات العمل وفترات الراحة خلال اليوم، بحيث لا يعمل العامل أكثر من خمس ساعات متتالية دون فترة للراحة والصلاة والطعام لا تقل عن نصف ساعة في المرة الواحدة خلا
More articles on Working Hours and Overtime
- Article 6
Article 6 sets the provisions that apply to the casual, seasonal and temporary worker: duties, discipline, working hours, rest, overtime, official holidays, safety, work injuries and what the Minister decides.
تسري على العامل العرضي والموسمي والمؤقت الأحكام الخاصة بالواجبات وقواعد التأديب، والحد الأقصى لساعات العمل، وفترات الراحة اليومية والراحة الأسبوعية، والتشغيل ال
- Article 17
Article 17 requires the employer to keep at the workplace the records and files the Regulations specify, and to post a visible schedule of working hours, rest periods and shifts.
على صاحب العمل أن يحتفظ في مكان العمل بالسجلات والكشوف والملفات التي تحدد ماهيتها، والبيانات التي يجب أن تتضمنها اللائحة. وعليه أن يضع في مكان ظاهر بموقع العمل
- Article 49
Article 49 applies the Labor Law provisions on leave, holidays, working hours, rest periods, occupational safety and work injuries to the trainee and the person undergoing qualification.
تسري على عقد التأهيل والتدريب الأحكام الواردة في هذا النظام، الخاصة بالإجازات السنوية والعطلات الرسمية، والحد الأقصى لساعات العمل، وفترات الراحة اليومية والراحة
- Article 98
Article 98 sets the maximum actual working hours at 8 hours a day or 48 hours a week, reduced for Muslims during Ramadan to 6 hours a day or 36 a week.
لا يجوز تشغيل العامل تشغيلًا فعليًّا أكثر من ثماني ساعات في اليوم الواحد، إذا اعتمد صاحب العمل المعيار اليومي، أو أكثر من ثمان وأربعين ساعة في الأسبوع، إذا اعتم
- Article 99
Article 99 allows the Minister to raise daily working hours to 9 for certain categories or non-continuous work, or lower them to 7 in dangerous or harmful work.
يجوز زيادة ساعات العمل المنصوص عليها في المادة الثامنة والتسعين من هذا النظام إلى تسع ساعات في اليوم الواحد لبعض فئات العمال، أو في بعض الصناعات والأعمال التي ل
- Article 100
Article 100 allows an employer, with the Ministry's approval, to exceed 8 hours a day or 48 a week in establishments that work in rotation, provided the average over 3 weeks or less stays within these limits.
يجوز لصاحب العمل- بموافقة الوزارة- في المنشآت التي تقتضي طبيعة العمل فيها أداء العمل بالتناوب زيادة ساعات العمل على ثماني ساعات عمل في اليوم أو ثمان وأربعين ساع
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.