Article 66 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 66 من نظام العمل · الباب الخامس: علاقات العمل
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.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
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 صاحب العمل.
4 - تأجيل الترقية مدة لا تزيد على سنة متى كانت مقررة من صاحب العمل.
5 - الإيقاف عن العمل مع الحرمان من الأجر.
6- الفصل من العمل في الحالات المقررة في النظام.
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 66 explained in plain English
Article 66 of the Labor Law sets out a specific list of penalties that the employer may impose on the worker when they breach their duties, such as those in Article 65 (performing the work according to the principles of the profession, caring for work tools, good conduct, and preserving the establishment's secrets). The purpose of this restriction is to protect the worker from inventive or unexpected penalties, while at the same time giving the employer tools for maintaining discipline within the establishment.
The permitted sanctions according to the article are:
- A warning: alerting the worker to their violation.
- A fine: deducting a sum of money from the worker's wage.
- Deprivation of an allowance or its postponement for a period of no more than one year, provided the allowance is one set by the employer.
- Postponement of promotion for a period of no more than one year, provided the promotion is one set by the employer.
- Suspension from work with deprivation of wages.
- Dismissal from work, but only in the cases the Law itself sets, so dismissal may not be used as a general disciplinary penalty for any violation.
This article is completed by Article 67, which expressly provides that the employer may not impose any sanction that is not stated in the Law or in the establishment's work organization regulations. Accordingly, any penalty outside this list and the establishment's regulations is unlawful.
What matters to the worker in practice:
- Check that the sanction imposed on them falls within the list above or within the work organization regulations approved in their establishment.
- Note that deprivation of an allowance or its postponement, and postponement of promotion, are subject to a time ceiling of no more than one year.
- Understand that disciplinary dismissal occurs only in the cases provided for in the Law, and if exposed to it, it is advisable to consult a lawyer specialized in labor cases.
Practical example
Ahmed works as an accountant at a company in Riyadh, and was repeatedly late for the start of work despite being told orally. The company decided to impose a sanction on him; under Article 66 it may give him a written warning, impose a fine, or postpone the annual allowance it sets for a period not exceeding one year. But if the company decided to cancel his annual leave as a penalty, this sanction is not stated in Article 66, and it may not be imposed unless it is provided for in the Law or in the company's work organization regulations, under Article 67.
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 66 of the Saudi Labor Law
What disciplinary sanctions may an employer impose on a worker?
Article 66 sets them as six sanctions: a warning, a fine, deprivation of an allowance or its postponement for a period of no more than one year, postponement of promotion for a period of no more than one year, suspension from work with deprivation of wages, and dismissal in the cases set in the Law.
May an employer impose a penalty not mentioned in Article 66?
No. Article 67 prevents the employer from imposing any sanction not stated in the Labor Law or in the establishment's work organization regulations.
What is the maximum period for postponing a promotion or an allowance as a disciplinary sanction?
No more than one year, and it is required that the allowance or promotion be one that the employer set in the first place.
Can a worker be dismissed as a disciplinary sanction for any violation?
No. Article 66 limits disciplinary dismissal to the cases set in the Law only, and it may not be used as a general penalty for any violation.
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 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 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.