Article 81 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 81 من نظام العمل · الباب الخامس: علاقات العمل
Article 81 gives a worker the right to leave work immediately without notice, keeping all legal rights, in 7 situations where the employer is the one breaching the contract or its duties.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يحق للعامل أن يترك العمل دون إشعار مع احتفاظه بحقوقه النظامية كلها، وذلك في أي من الحالات الآتية:
1 - إذا لم يقم صاحب العمل بالوفاء بالتزاماته العقدية أو النظامية الجوهرية إزاء العامل.
2 - إذا ثبت أن صاحب العمل أو من يمثله قد أدخل عليه الغش وقت التعاقد فيما يتعلق بشروط العمل وظروفه.
3 - إذا كلفه صاحب العمل دون رضاه بعمل يختلف جوهريًّا عن العمل المتفق عليه، وخلافًا لما تقرره المادة الستون من هذا النظام.
4 - إذا وقع من صاحب العمل أو من أحد أفراد أسرته أو من المدير المسؤول اعتداء يتسم بالعنف، أو سلوك مخل بالآداب نحو العامل أو أحد أفراد أسرته.
5 - إذا اتسمت معاملة صاحب العمل أو المدير المسؤول بمظاهر من القسوة والجور أو الإهانة.
6 - إذا كان في مقر العمل خطر جسيم يهدد سلامة العامل أو صحته، بشرط أن يكون صاحب العمل قد علم بوجوده، ولم يتخذ من الإجراءات ما يدل على إزالته.
7 - إذا كان صاحب العمل أو من يمثله قد دفع العامل بتصرفاته وعلى الأخص بمعاملته الجائرة أو بمخالفته شروط العقد إلى أن يكون العامل في الظاهر هو الذي أنهى العقد.
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 81 explained in plain English
As a rule, a party who wants to end an employment contract gives the other party advance notice. Article 81 makes an exception for a worker who suffers a serious breach by the employer: it allows the worker to leave work without notice while keeping all of their legal rights, meaning the worker is not treated as someone who left their job arbitrarily. This article is the counterpart of Article 80, which gives the employer the right to terminate without an end-of-service award, notice or compensation when the worker commits a breach.
The seven situations set out in the article are:
- The employer does not fulfill its essential contractual or legal obligations toward the worker.
- It is proven that the employer or its representative deceived the worker at the time of contracting about the terms and conditions of the work.
- The worker is assigned, without their consent, work that differs substantially from the agreed work, contrary to Article 60, which permits this only with written consent, or in cases of temporary necessity for a period not exceeding 30 days in a year.
- A violent assault or immoral conduct is committed by the employer, a member of the employer's family or the responsible manager against the worker or a member of the worker's family.
- The treatment by the employer or the responsible manager is marked by cruelty, injustice or humiliation.
- There is a serious danger at the workplace threatening the worker's safety or health, provided that the employer knew of it and did not take steps showing it was being removed.
- The employer or its representative, through its conduct, especially unjust treatment or breach of the contract terms, drives the worker into a position where it appears that the worker is the one who ended the contract.
Note that some situations carry specific conditions: the deception in the second situation must be proven, and the danger in the sixth situation must be serious and known to the employer, who has failed to address it. Because in practice the worker bears the burden of proving these facts if a dispute arises, it is advisable to document what happens, keep all correspondence, and consult a lawyer who specializes in labor cases before deciding to leave.
Practical example
Ahmed was hired by a company in Dammam as an accountant. Two months later, management assigned him permanently to work as a field sales representative without his written consent, and this continued for more than 30 days despite his objection. The third situation in Article 81 applies here, since he was assigned work that differs substantially from the agreed work, contrary to Article 60. He may therefore leave work without notice and keep his legal rights in full, and it is important to document the assignment and his objection to it.
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 81 of the Saudi Labor Law
Does a worker lose their rights if they leave work without notice under Article 81?
No. The text is explicit that the worker keeps all of their legal rights if they leave work in any of the seven situations listed in the article.
Does any delay in the employer's obligations allow the worker to leave without notice?
The text requires a breach of essential contractual or legal obligations, so not every minor breach is enough to apply the article.
When does a change in the nature of the work justify leaving without notice?
When the worker is assigned, without their consent, work that differs substantially from the agreed work, contrary to Article 60, which permits this only with written consent or in cases of temporary necessity for a period not exceeding 30 days in a year.
Is a danger at the workplace enough to leave work immediately?
The article requires the danger to be serious and to threaten the worker's safety or health, and the employer must have known of it and not taken steps showing it was being removed.
Articles this article refers to
More articles on Terminating the Employment Contract
- Article 57
Article 57 provides that an employment contract concluded to perform a specific job ends automatically once the agreed work is completed.
إذا كان العقد من أجل القيام بعمل معين فإنه ينتهي بإنجاز العمل المتفق عليه.
- Article 64Amended (1436 AH)
Article 64 requires the employer, on the end of the contract, to give the worker a free service certificate free of anything harmful to them, and to return all certificates and documents they deposited with it.
يلتزم صاحب العمل عند انتهاء عقد العمل بما يأتي : 1 - أن يعطي العامل – بناءً على طلبه – شهادة خدمة دون مقابل، يوضح فيها تاريخ التحاقه بالعمل، وتاريخ انتهاء علاقت
- 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 74Amended by M/44
Article 74 lists the cases in which an employment contract ends, including written agreement of the parties, expiry of the term, resignation, reaching retirement age, force majeure, permanent closure of the establishment, and bankruptcy.
ينتهي عقد العمل في أي من الأحوال الآتية : 1 - إذا اتفق الطرفان على إنهائه، بشرط أن تكون موافقة العامل كتابية. 2 - إذا انتهت المدة المحددة في العقد، ما لم يكن ال
- Article 75Amended by M/44
Article 75 sets the written notice period for ending an open-ended contract for a legitimate reason: 60 days from the employer and 30 days from the worker if wages are monthly, and 30 days for both otherwise.
1- إذا كان العقد غير محدد المدة وكان الأجر يدفع شهريًّا، جاز لأي من طرفيه إنهاؤه بناءً على سبب مشروع، وفق ما يلي: أ- إذا كان الإنهاء من طرف العامل، فيجب عليه أن
- Article 76Amended (1436 AH)
Whoever ends an open-ended contract without observing the notice period in Article 75 must pay the other party a sum equal to the worker's wage for that period, unless they agree on more.
إذا لم يراع الطرف الذي أنهى العقد غير المحدد المدة المهلة المحدد للإشعار وفقاً للمادة (الخامسة والسبعين) من هذا النظام، فإنه يلتزم بأن يدفع للطرف الآخر عن مهلة
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.