Article 159 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 159 من نظام العمل · الباب التاسع: تشغيل النساء
The article requires an employer with 50 or more women workers to provide a place to care for their children under 6, and lets the Minister require an employer with 100 women workers to set up a nursery.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- على كل صاحب عمل يشغل خمسين عاملة فأكثر أن يهيئ مكانًا مناسبًا يتوافر فيه العدد الكافي من المربيات، لرعاية أطفال العاملات الذين تقل أعمارهم عن ست سنوات، وذلك إذا بلغ عدد الأطفال عشرة فأكثر.
2 - يجوز للوزير أن يلزم صاحب العمل الذي يستخدم مائة عاملة فأكثر في مدينة واحدة أن ينشئ دارًا للحضانة بنفسه أو بالمشاركة مع أصحاب عمل آخرين في المدينة نفسها، أو يتعاقد مع دار للحضانة قائمة لرعاية أطفال العاملات الذين تقل أعمارهم عن ست سنوات وذلك أثناء فترات العمل، وفي هذه الحالة يحدد الوزير الشروط والأوضاع التي تنظم هذه الدار، كما يقرر نسبة التكاليف التي تفرض على العاملات المستفيدات من هذه الخدمة .
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 159 explained in plain English
Article 159 is within Part Nine of the Labor Law on the employment of women, and aims to help the working woman balance her work with caring for her young children, through two obligations on the employer that differ according to the number of women it employs.
The first obligation (paragraph 1): if the employer employs 50 or more women workers, it must prepare a suitable place with a sufficient number of nannies to care for the women workers' children. Two conditions must both be met for this obligation to arise:
- The children must be under 6 years old.
- The number of such children must be 10 or more.
If the number of children does not reach 10, or the number of women workers is under 50, this obligation does not arise under this paragraph. The text does not specify the number of nannies or the specifications of the place, and only describes it as suitable and requires a sufficient number of nannies.
The second obligation (paragraph 2): if the employer employs 100 or more women workers in a single city, the Minister has the power, and it is not an automatic duty, to require it to do one of the following to care for women workers' children under 6 during working periods:
- Establish a nursery on its own.
- Establish a nursery jointly with other employers in the same city.
- Contract with an existing nursery.
In this case the Minister sets the conditions and arrangements governing this nursery, and also decides the percentage of costs to be imposed on the women workers who benefit from the service; that is, the service may not be entirely free, but is as the Minister decides.
This article complements Article 158, which requires the employer to provide seats for women to rest in all workplaces, as both articles address women's working conditions, while Article 160 deals with the worker's right to waiting-period (iddah) leave on her husband's death.
In practice, if the conditions of the first paragraph are met and the employer does not provide a care place, the woman worker may ask it to apply the Law or go to the competent authority, and it is advisable to consult a labor lawyer to assess her particular situation.
Practical example
Noura works at a company in Jeddah that employs 70 women workers, and the women workers together have 12 children under 6 years old. Here the company is required under paragraph 1 of Article 159 to prepare a suitable place with a sufficient number of nannies to care for these children. But if the number of children were only 8, this obligation would not arise even though the number of women workers exceeds 50. By contrast, if another company in Riyadh employs 120 women workers, the Minister may require it to establish a nursery or contract with an existing one, and set the percentage of costs borne by the women workers who benefit.
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 159 of the Saudi Labor Law
When must an employer provide a place to care for women workers' children?
When it employs 50 or more women workers and the number of the women workers' children under 6 years old reaches 10 or more. Both conditions must be met together.
Is the employer required to set up a nursery if it has 100 women workers?
Not automatically. The article allows the Minister to require an employer using 100 or more women workers in a single city to establish a nursery on its own or jointly with other employers, or to contract with an existing nursery.
Who bears the costs of the nursery?
Where the Minister requires a nursery to be established, the Minister decides the percentage of costs imposed on the women workers who benefit from the service, and also sets the conditions and arrangements governing the nursery.
What age of children is covered by care under Article 159?
Children under 6 years old, whether in the care place provided for in paragraph 1 or in the nursery in paragraph 2.
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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.