Article 13 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 13 من نظام العمل · الفصل الأول: التعريفات
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.
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 - 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.
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 13 explained in plain English
Article 13 of the Labor Law sets the basic framework for what is known as the work organization regulation, the internal document that sets the rules of work in the establishment. The text in force was issued by Royal Decree No. M/46 dated 5/6/1436 AH.
The article rests on three main obligations:
- Preparing the regulation: every employer must prepare a work organization regulation in his establishment, which must follow the model prepared by the Ministry. The Minister may grant an exemption from this obligation, but the article does not specify the cases or controls of this exemption.
- Adding terms and provisions: the employer is not bound to be content with the Ministry's model; he may include in the regulation additional terms and provisions suited to the nature of his establishment, provided they do not conflict with the provisions of the Labor Law, its Implementing Regulations and the decisions issued to implement it. An additional provision that contravenes the law is not protected by being written in the regulation.
- Announcing the regulation: the employer must announce the regulation and every amendment to it in a prominent place in the establishment, or by any other means that ensures those subject to it know its provisions.
This article is directly linked to Article 12, which directs the Ministry to set one or more unified models of the regulation, including the rules for organizing work and the provisions on benefits, violations and disciplinary penalties, and also directs it to set controls and mechanisms for approving these regulations. That is, Article 12 defines the Ministry's role in the model and approval, while Article 13 defines the employer's duties in preparing and announcing.
What does this mean in practice?
- The worker has the right to know the rules that govern his work, including violations and penalties, before they are applied to him.
- If the regulation or its amendments are not announced by a means that ensures the workers know of them, the employer is in breach of an obligation this article provides.
- If the worker suspects that a provision in the regulation contravenes the law, he may refer to the provisions of the law or consult a lawyer who specializes in labor cases.
Practical example
A company in Dammam decided to amend its work organization regulation by adding new terms on attendance times and how to deal with repeated lateness. The company prepared the amendment according to the Ministry's model, and made sure the new terms did not conflict with the Labor Law and its regulations. It then posted a copy of the amended regulation on the notice board at the workplace, and also sent it to all employees by official email. When an employee later objected to a penalty for lateness, claiming he did not know of the new rules, the company was able to prove that it announced the amendment by a means that ensures the workers know of it, as Article 13 requires.
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 13 of the Saudi Labor Law
Must every employer prepare a work organization 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 terms to the regulation?
He may include additional terms and provisions in the regulation, provided they do not conflict with the provisions of the Labor Law, its Implementing Regulations and the decisions issued to implement it.
How must the work organization regulation be announced to workers?
The regulation and any amendment to it must be announced in a prominent place in the establishment, or by any other means that ensures the workers subject to it know its provisions.
What is the relationship between Article 12 and Article 13 of the Labor Law?
Article 12 directs the Ministry to set a unified model of the regulation covering benefits, violations and disciplinary penalties, and to set controls for approving it, while Article 13 sets the employer's obligations to prepare the regulation according to that model and announce it.
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)
تعتمد الوزارة لائحة تنظيم العمل، وما يطرأ عليها من تعديل، خلال ستين يومًا من تاريخ تقديمها إلى الوزارة.
فإذا انقضت تلك المدة دون صدور الموافقة أو الاعتراض عليها أصبحت اللائحة نافذة اعتبارًا من انقضاء تلك المدة .
وعلى صاحب العمل أن يعلن اللائحة بعد اعتمادها في مكان ظاهر في المنشأة أو بأي وسيلة أخرى تكفل معرفة العاملين بها.
More articles on Disciplinary Penalties
- Article 12Amended (1436 AH)
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.
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
- 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.