Article 70 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 70 من نظام العمل · الباب الخامس: علاقات العمل
Article 70 limits the employer's disciplinary power: no punishing conduct outside work unless connected with it, one sanction per violation, and a ceiling of five days for fines, deductions and suspension without pay.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
لا يجوز توقيع جزاء تأديبي على العامل لأمر ارتكبه خارج مكان العمل ما لم يكن متصلًا بالعمل أو بصاحبه أو مديره المسؤول، كما لا يجوز أن يوقع على العامل عن المخالفة الواحدة غرامة تزيد قيمتها على أجرة خمسة أيام، ولا توقيع أكثر من جزاء واحد على المخالفة الواحدة، ولا أن تُقتطع من أجره وفاءً للغرامات التي توقع عليه أكثر من أجر خمسة أيام في الشهر الواحد، ولا أن تزيد مدة إيقافه عن العمل دون أجر على خمسة أيام في الشهر.
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 70 explained in plain English
Article 70 of the Labor Law sets clear limits on what the employer may do when disciplining a worker, so that sanctions do not become a means of abuse or of deducting large parts of the wage. The article contains five basic rules:
- No punishment for what happens outside work: what the worker does outside the workplace is their private affair, and they may not be disciplined for it, unless the act is connected with the work itself, with the employer, or with the manager responsible for the worker.
- A ceiling on the fine for a single violation: the fine for a single violation may not exceed five days' wage.
- Only one sanction for each violation: two sanctions may not be combined for the same violation, such as imposing a warning and a fine together for the same act.
- A monthly ceiling on deduction: however many fines are imposed on the worker, no more than five days' wage may be deducted from their wage in satisfaction of them in a single month.
- A ceiling on suspension without pay: the period of suspending the worker from work without pay may not exceed five days in the month.
This article operates within an integrated system of safeguards: Article 69 sets time limits for the sanction, since a worker may not be accused of a violation more than 30 days after its discovery, nor may the sanction be imposed more than 30 days after the investigation ended and the violation was established. Article 71 requires procedures before any sanction: notifying the worker in writing of what is attributed to them, questioning them, hearing their defense, and recording this in a record placed in their file, with oral questioning permitted for minor violations whose sanction does not exceed a warning or a fine of one day's wage.
If a worker is subjected to a sanction that violates these limits, such as a fine exceeding five days' wage, two sanctions for one violation, or a penalty for private conduct unconnected with work, they have the right to object. To assess a particular situation precisely, it is advisable to consult a lawyer specialized in labor cases.
Practical example
Ahmed works at a company in Riyadh, and in one month he was late for work several times, so the company imposed a fine equal to 3 days' wage after notifying him in writing and questioning him under Article 71. In the same month he committed another violation relating to non-compliance with safety instructions, and the company decided on a fine of 4 days' wage together with a written warning for the same violation. The restrictions of Article 70 appear here: a warning and a fine may not be combined for a single violation, so the company must settle for one sanction, and no more than 5 days' wage may be deducted from Ahmed's wage in that month in satisfaction of the fines, however large their total. In the following month the company learned that Ahmed had entered a personal dispute with his neighbor in the neighborhood; it has no right to discipline him for that because it occurred outside work and has no connection with the work, its owner or his responsible manager.
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 70 of the Saudi Labor Law
May an employer punish a worker for conduct outside work?
As a general rule, no. A disciplinary sanction may not be imposed on a worker for something committed outside the workplace. The exception is where the act is connected with the work, the employer or the responsible manager.
What is the maximum fine that can be deducted from a worker's wage?
The fine for a single violation may not exceed five days' wage, and no more than five days' wage may be deducted from the worker's wage in satisfaction of fines in a single month.
May a warning and a fine be imposed together for the same violation?
No. Article 70 prevents imposing more than one sanction for a single violation, so the employer chooses only one sanction.
What is the maximum period for suspending a worker from work without pay?
The period of suspending a worker from work without pay may not exceed five days in a single month.
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 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.
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.