Article 12 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 12 من نظام العمل · الفصل الأول: التعريفات
Article 12 directs the Ministry to prepare one or more unified models of the work organization regulation covering benefits, violations and disciplinary penalties, and to set controls and mechanisms for approving these regulations.
Official text after amendments (Arabic)
Compiled from the original text and every officially published amendment; the amendments are shown in full below for comparison.
1 - تضع الوزارة نموذجاً موحداً - أو أكثر - للائحة تنظيم العمل، على أن يكون شاملاً لقواعد تنظيم العمل وما يتصل به من أحكام، بما في ذلك الأحكام المتعلقة بالميزات والأحكام الخاصة بالمخالفات والجزاءات التأديبية.
2 - تضع الوزارة ضوابط وآليات اعتماد لوائح تنظيم العمل
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 12 explained in plain English
Article 12 of the Labor Law sets out the role of the Ministry regarding the work organization regulation, the internal document that regulates the day-to-day relationship between the employer and workers inside the establishment. According to the text in force after the amendment by Royal Decree No. M/46 dated 5/6/1436 AH, the Ministry does two things:
- Prepares one or more unified models of the work organization regulation, which must be comprehensive of the rules for organizing work and related provisions, and expressly include the provisions on the benefits granted to workers and the provisions on violations and disciplinary penalties.
- Sets controls and mechanisms for approving the work organization regulations that establishments prepare.
In practical application, this article means that an employer does not create his regulation from nothing but starts from an official model the Ministry sets, and that approval of his regulation is subject to controls and mechanisms the Ministry also sets. The article did not specify the details of these controls, the number of models or their content, but left that to the Ministry.
This article is directly linked to Article 13, which requires every employer to prepare a work organization regulation in his establishment according to the model prepared by the Ministry, while allowing the Minister to exempt from that. Article 13 also allows the employer to add terms and provisions to the regulation provided they do not conflict with the law, its regulations and the decisions issued to implement it, and requires him to announce the regulation and any amendment to it in a prominent place in the establishment or by any means that ensures workers know its provisions.
What matters to the worker here? That any benefit or disciplinary penalty applied to him inside the establishment should have a basis in a work organization regulation built on the Ministry's model, approved according to its controls and announced to him. If the worker doubts that the penalty imposed on him rests on a regulation of this kind, he may review the regulation announced in the establishment and consult a labor lawyer when needed.
Practical example
A company in Riyadh set up a human resources department and wanted to set internal rules for attendance, bonuses and warnings. Instead of writing the regulation from scratch, the company obtained the unified model the Ministry sets under Article 12 and prepared its regulation according to it as Article 13 requires, then added a special term for a transport allowance that does not conflict with the law. It then followed the approval controls and mechanisms the Ministry set, and posted the regulation on the notice board. When one employee received a written warning, he was able to refer to the announced regulation to confirm that the violation and the penalty were provided for in it.
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 12 of the Saudi Labor Law
What is the work organization regulation that Article 12 speaks of?
It is the internal regulation that organizes work in the establishment, for which the Ministry sets one or more unified models that include the rules for organizing work and the provisions on benefits, violations and disciplinary penalties.
Must the employer use the Ministry's model for the regulation?
Yes. Article 13 requires every employer to prepare a work organization regulation in his establishment according to the model prepared by the Ministry, while allowing the Minister to grant exemptions from that.
Can the employer add special provisions to the regulation?
Yes. Article 13 allows including additional terms and provisions in the regulation provided they do not conflict with the provisions of the Labor Law, its regulations and the decisions issued to implement it.
Who sets the method for approving work organization regulations?
The Ministry, since paragraph 2 of Article 12 provides that the Ministry sets the controls and mechanisms for approving work organization regulations, without the text specifying the details of these controls.
Amendment history
Royal Decree No. M/46 — 5/6/1436 AH
Official amendment text (Arabic)
تم تعديل أحكام المواد (الثانية عشرة) و(الثالثة عشرة) و(الرابعة عشرة)؛ وإعادة صياغتها بعد تعديل أحكامها لتكون في مادتين بموجب المرسوم الملكي رقم ( م/ 46) وتاريخ 5 / 6 / 1436 هـ ؛ على النحو الآتي :
"المادة الثانية عشرة :
1 - تضع الوزارة نموذجاً موحداً - أو أكثر - للائحة تنظيم العمل، على أن يكون شاملاً لقواعد تنظيم العمل وما يتصل به من أحكام، بما في ذلك الأحكام المتعلقة بالميزات والأحكام الخاصة بالمخالفات والجزاءات التأديبية.
2 - تضع الوزارة ضوابط وآليات اعتماد لوائح تنظيم العمل".
"المادة الثالثة عشرة :
1 - يلتزم كل صاحب عمل بإعداد لائحة لتنظيم العمل في منشأته وفق النموذج المعد من الوزارة، ويجوز للوزير الاستثناء من ذلك.
2 - يجوز لصاحب العمل تضمين اللائحة شروطاً وأحكاماً إضافية، بما لا يتعارض مع أحكام هذا النظام ولائحته والقرارات الصادرة تنفيذاً له.
3 - يجب على صاحب العمل أن يعلن لائحة تنظيم العمل وأي تعديل يطرأ عليها في مكان ظاهر في المنشأة أو أي وسيلة أخرى تكفل علم الخاضعين لها بأحكامها".
Original text before the amendments (Arabic)
يجب على صاحب العمل والعامل معرفة أحكام نظام العمل بجميع محتوياته ليكون كل منهما على بينة من أمره وعالمًا بما له وما عليه. وعلى صاحب العمل الذي يشغّل عشرة عمال فأكثر أن يقدم للوزارة خلال سنة من تاريخ سريان هذا النظام أو تاريخ بلوغ النصاب - لائحة لتنظيم العمل تتضمن الأحكام الداخلية للعمل، ويجب أن تكون هذه اللائحة شاملة لقواعد تنظيم العمل، وما يتصل به من أحكام، بما في ذلك الأحكام المتعلقة بالميزات والأحكام الخاصة بالمخالفات والجزاءات التأديبية بما لا يتعارض مع أحكام هذا النظام.
More articles on Disciplinary Penalties
- Article 13Amended (1436 AH)
Article 13 requires every employer to prepare a work organization regulation according to the Ministry's model, allows adding provisions that do not conflict with the law, and requires the regulation and its amendments to be announced to workers.
1 - يلتزم كل صاحب عمل بإعداد لائحة لتنظيم العمل في منشأته وفق النموذج المعد من الوزارة، ويجوز للوزير الاستثناء من ذلك. 2 - يجوز لصاحب العمل تضمين اللائحة شروطاً
- Article 63
Article 63 requires the employer and anyone with authority over workers to prevent any substance forbidden by Sharia from entering the workplace, and penalizes anyone found with it or using it.
على صاحب العمل أو وكيله أو أي شخص له سلطة على العمال، منع دخول أي مادة محرمة شرعًا إلى أماكن العمل، ويطبق بحق من وجدت لديه أو من تعاطاها العقوبات المقررة في هذا
- Article 65
Article 65 sets six basic duties of the worker: performing the work skillfully per lawful instructions, caring for the employer's tools, good conduct, helping in emergencies, undergoing medical examination, and keeping the establishment's secrets.
بالإضافة إلى الواجبات المنصوص عليها في هذا النظام واللوائح والقرارات الصادرة تطبيقًا له، يجب على العامل: 1 - أن ينجز العمل وفقًا لأصول المهنة ووفق تعليمات صاحب
- Article 66
Article 66 sets out exhaustively the six disciplinary sanctions an employer may impose on a worker, from a warning to dismissal in the cases set in the Law.
الجزاءات التأديبية التي يجوز لصاحب العمل توقيعها على العامل: 1 - الإنذار. 2 - الغرامة. 3 - الحرمان من العلاوة أو تأجيلها لمدة لا تزيد على سنة متى كانت مقررة من
- Article 67
Article 67 prohibits an employer from imposing any disciplinary sanction on a worker unless it is stated in the Labor Law or in the establishment's work organization regulations.
لا يجوز لصاحب العمل أن يوقع على العامل جزاءً غير وارد في هذا النظام أو في لائحة تنظيم العمل.
- Article 68
Article 68 prevents an employer from making a sanction more severe because of a repeated violation if 180 days have passed since the worker was notified of the sanction imposed for the previous violation.
لا يجوز تشديد الجزاء في حالة تكرار المخالفة إذا كان قد انقضى على المخالفة السابقة مائة وثمانون يومًا من تاريخ إبلاغ العامل بتوقيع الجزاء عليه عن تلك المخالفة.
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.