Article 67 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 67 من نظام العمل · الباب الخامس: علاقات العمل
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.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
لا يجوز لصاحب العمل أن يوقع على العامل جزاءً غير وارد في هذا النظام أو في لائحة 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 67 explained in plain English
Article 67 of the Labor Law lays down a basic rule that protects the worker from inventive or arbitrary penalties: the employer may punish the worker only with a sanction that has a written source determined in advance. This source is either the Labor Law itself or the work organization regulations in force in the establishment.
This article complements what Article 66 provided, which listed the permitted disciplinary sanctions, namely:
- A warning.
- A fine.
- Deprivation of an allowance or its postponement for a period of no more than one year where it is set by the employer.
- Postponement of promotion for a period of no more than one year where it is set by the employer.
- Suspension from work with deprivation of wages.
- Dismissal from work in the cases set in the Law.
Article 66 sets out the types of sanctions, while Article 67 prevents going beyond them or beyond the sanctions specified in the work organization regulations. In practice this means:
- The employer may not invent a penalty that is not mentioned, such as depriving the worker of rights established for them or imposing extra work as a penalty, unless this appears in the Law or in the regulations.
- It is not enough for the employer to consider the penalty appropriate or the violation serious; the reference is the written text and not the employer's assessment.
- Even the permitted sanctions are subject to other restrictions, among them what Article 68 provides, that a sanction may not be made more severe on repetition of the violation if 180 days have passed since the previous violation from the date the worker was notified of the imposition of the sanction on them.
A worker on whom a sanction is imposed that has no basis in the Labor Law or in the work organization regulations has the right to object to this sanction, and would do well to read the establishment's regulations, keep what proves the sanction imposed on them, and consult a lawyer specialized in labor cases to assess their position precisely.
Practical example
Ahmed works as an accountant at a company in Riyadh, and was late arriving several times in one month. His manager decided to punish him by moving him to a lower job at a lower wage and deducting 3 days from his annual leave balance. Ahmed reviewed the company's work organization regulations and did not find this sanction in them, and it is also not among the sanctions listed in Article 66 of the Labor Law. Article 67 applies here: the company may not impose this sanction because it is not stated in the Law or in the regulations, and Ahmed has the right to object to it, whereas if the sanction had been a warning or a fine under the regulations, the matter would be different.
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 67 of the Saudi Labor Law
May an employer impose a penalty of its own on a worker?
No. Article 67 provides that the employer may not impose on the worker a sanction not stated in the Labor Law or in the work organization regulations, so any penalty outside these two sources is not permitted.
What sanctions may be imposed on a worker under the Labor Law?
Article 66 lists them: a warning, a fine, deprivation of an allowance or its postponement for a period of no more than one year where it is set by the employer, postponement of promotion for a period of no more than one year where it is set by the employer, suspension from work with deprivation of wages, and dismissal from work in the cases set in the Law.
What should I do if a sanction is imposed on me that is not in the Law or the regulations?
A sanction not stated in the Labor Law or the work organization regulations contravenes Article 67, and you have the right to object to it. It is advisable to keep what proves the sanction, review the regulations, and consult a lawyer specialized in labor cases.
May a sanction be made more severe if the worker repeats the violation?
According to Article 68, a sanction may not be made more severe on repetition of the violation if 180 days have passed since the previous violation from the date the worker was notified of the imposition of the sanction on them for that 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 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 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.