Article 158 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 158 من نظام العمل · الباب التاسع: تشغيل النساء
Article 158 requires every employer with women workers, in all places and occupations, to provide seats for them to rest during work.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
على صاحب العمل في جميع الأماكن التي يعمل فيها نساء وفي جميع المهن أن يوفر لهن مقاعد تأمينًا لاستراحتهن.
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 158 explained in plain English
Article 158 of the Labor Law sets an obligation simple in wording but important in daily effect: every employer that has women working for it must provide them with seats that allow them to rest during work.
Who is bound by this article? Every employer with one or more women working for it; the text sets no particular number of women workers, unlike Article 159, which tied the obligation to prepare a place for the care of women workers' children to their number reaching 50 or more.
Scope of application: the text is general and comprehensive, with two clear expressions:
- In all places where women work: factories, shops, offices, hospitals and others.
- In all occupations: no occupation is excepted on the ground of its nature or because performing it requires standing, such as selling in shops or reception work.
Purpose of the obligation: the article states it as "securing rest" for women workers; that is, what is required is not merely that seats exist in the establishment, but that they are actually available to the women workers so that they can sit when they need rest, which makes this article part of the occupational safety and health provisions specific to women.
Place of the article in Part Nine: this Part contains a package of guarantees specific to the employment of women, including provisions on leave and related matters, as in Article 157, which explains when the worker's right to the entitlements of this Part lapses, and provisions on the care of women workers' children in Article 159. Article 158 comes within this system to address the conditions of the daily work environment itself.
What can the woman worker do? If the employer does not provide suitable seats, she can request it from her management as a legal right, and if she gets no response she can turn to the authorities competent to apply the Labor Law. Note that the article itself does not specify a particular penalty for violation or detailed specifications for the seats, and consulting a lawyer specialized in labor cases is advised when a particular situation needs to be assessed.
Practical example
Noura works as a cashier at a store in Jeddah, and spends her entire shift standing because the store has not provided any seat behind the checkout points. When she asked her manager to provide a seat, he replied that the nature of the work requires standing. Under Article 158, the obligation to provide seats covers all places where women work and all occupations without exception, so the store has a duty to provide a seat on which Noura can rest when needed, and the nature of the occupation cannot be cited to evade this duty.
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 158 of the Saudi Labor Law
Must an employer provide seats for women workers even if there are few of them?
Yes. Article 158 sets no particular number of women workers, but makes the obligation apply in all places where women work, unlike Article 159, which required 50 or more women workers for providing a child care place.
Are some occupations, such as sales or reception, excepted from providing seats?
No. The text is clear that the obligation applies in all occupations, and does not except any occupation on the ground of its nature or its need for standing.
What is the purpose of the seats Article 158 requires?
The article states the purpose as securing rest for women workers, meaning the seats must actually be available to them to sit on when they need rest during work.
What should I do if the employer does not provide seats for women workers?
The woman worker can first request it from the establishment's management as a legal right, then turn to the authorities competent to apply the Labor Law if she gets no response. The article sets no particular penalty, so consulting a labor lawyer is advisable when needed.
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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.