Article 99 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 99 من نظام العمل · الباب السادس: شروط العمل وظروفه
Article 99 allows the Minister to raise daily working hours to 9 for certain categories or non-continuous work, or lower them to 7 in dangerous or harmful work.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يجوز زيادة ساعات العمل المنصوص عليها في المادة الثامنة والتسعين من هذا النظام إلى تسع ساعات في اليوم الواحد لبعض فئات العمال، أو في بعض الصناعات والأعمال التي لا يشتغل فيها العامل بصفة مستمرة، كما يجوز تخفيضها إلى سبع ساعات في اليوم الواحد لبعض فئات العمال أو في بعض الصناعات والأعمال الخطرة أو الضارة، وتحدد فئات العمال والصناعات والأعمال المشار إليها بقرار من الوزير.
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 99 explained in plain English
Article 98 of the Labor Law sets the general rule on working hours: 8 hours a day if the employer adopts the daily standard, or 48 hours a week if it adopts the weekly standard, reduced for Muslims in Ramadan to 6 hours a day or 36 hours a week. Article 99 allows departure from this rule in two specific directions:
- Increase to 9 hours a day: for certain categories of workers, or in certain industries and work in which the worker does not work continuously, that is, work interspersed with periods in which the worker does no actual work.
- Reduction to 7 hours a day: for certain categories of workers, or in dangerous or harmful industries and work in which long exposure may affect the worker's health and safety.
The key point of this article is that the increase or reduction is not left to the employer's discretion or to agreement with the worker; the article expressly provides that the categories of workers and the industries and work to which these exceptions apply are determined by decision of the Minister. If a worker's occupation or an establishment's activity is not covered by a ministerial decision, the limits in Article 98 remain applicable.
Note that this article differs from Article 100, which deals with another case, work by rotation (shifts), where the employer may, with the approval of the Ministry, exceed 8 hours a day or 48 hours a week, provided that the average hours, when calculated over 3 weeks or less, do not exceed these limits. Article 100 is based on the idea of an average and on the Ministry's approval for the establishment, while Article 99 is based on specifying particular categories and kinds of work by a general decision of the Minister.
In practice, a worker who is asked to work 9 hours a day does well to check that their work is covered by a ministerial decision on this subject, and a person working in dangerous or harmful work is entitled to check whether the ministerial decision has reduced their hours to 7. If there is doubt about whether these exceptions apply, it is advisable to consult a labor lawyer.
Practical example
Salem works as a security guard at a warehouse belonging to a company in Dammam, and the nature of his work does not require continuous effort throughout the shift. The company told him his daily working hours are 9 instead of 8. Under Article 99, this is permissible only if his category or the nature of his work is covered by a decision issued by the Minister specifying the work in which the worker does not work continuously; otherwise the limits in Article 98 remain binding. By contrast, if his colleague Khalid works in a department dealing with dangerous chemical materials that is covered by a ministerial decision for reduction, his maximum becomes 7 hours a day.
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 99 of the Saudi Labor Law
Can an employer raise working hours to 9 hours a day on its own decision?
No. Article 99 permits an increase to 9 hours only for categories of workers or industries and work specified by a decision of the Minister, and does not give the employer the power to decide this itself.
When are daily working hours reduced to 7 hours?
When a decision of the Minister covers the worker's category, or the industry or the dangerous or harmful work in which they work, among the work whose hours are reduced to 7 hours a day.
What is the difference between Article 99 and Article 100 on working hours?
Article 99 sets a different daily ceiling (9 or 7 hours) for certain categories and kinds of work by decision of the Minister, while Article 100 concerns work by rotation and allows, with the Ministry's approval, exceeding 8 hours a day provided the average hours over 3 weeks or less do not exceed 8 hours a day or 48 a week.
Does Article 99 list the dangerous or non-continuous kinds of work?
No. The article merely refers to a decision of the Minister to specify the categories of workers and the industries and work covered by the increase or reduction.
Articles this article refers to
More articles on Working Hours and Overtime
- Article 6
Article 6 sets the provisions that apply to the casual, seasonal and temporary worker: duties, discipline, working hours, rest, overtime, official holidays, safety, work injuries and what the Minister decides.
تسري على العامل العرضي والموسمي والمؤقت الأحكام الخاصة بالواجبات وقواعد التأديب، والحد الأقصى لساعات العمل، وفترات الراحة اليومية والراحة الأسبوعية، والتشغيل ال
- Article 17
Article 17 requires the employer to keep at the workplace the records and files the Regulations specify, and to post a visible schedule of working hours, rest periods and shifts.
على صاحب العمل أن يحتفظ في مكان العمل بالسجلات والكشوف والملفات التي تحدد ماهيتها، والبيانات التي يجب أن تتضمنها اللائحة. وعليه أن يضع في مكان ظاهر بموقع العمل
- Article 49
Article 49 applies the Labor Law provisions on leave, holidays, working hours, rest periods, occupational safety and work injuries to the trainee and the person undergoing qualification.
تسري على عقد التأهيل والتدريب الأحكام الواردة في هذا النظام، الخاصة بالإجازات السنوية والعطلات الرسمية، والحد الأقصى لساعات العمل، وفترات الراحة اليومية والراحة
- Article 98
Article 98 sets the maximum actual working hours at 8 hours a day or 48 hours a week, reduced for Muslims during Ramadan to 6 hours a day or 36 a week.
لا يجوز تشغيل العامل تشغيلًا فعليًّا أكثر من ثماني ساعات في اليوم الواحد، إذا اعتمد صاحب العمل المعيار اليومي، أو أكثر من ثمان وأربعين ساعة في الأسبوع، إذا اعتم
- Article 100
Article 100 allows an employer, with the Ministry's approval, to exceed 8 hours a day or 48 a week in establishments that work in rotation, provided the average over 3 weeks or less stays within these limits.
يجوز لصاحب العمل- بموافقة الوزارة- في المنشآت التي تقتضي طبيعة العمل فيها أداء العمل بالتناوب زيادة ساعات العمل على ثماني ساعات عمل في اليوم أو ثمان وأربعين ساع
- Article 101Amended (1436 AH)
Article 101 requires working days to be organized so that a worker does not work more than 5 consecutive hours without a rest of at least half an hour, or stay at the workplace more than 12 hours a day.
تنظم ساعات العمل وفترات الراحة خلال اليوم، بحيث لا يعمل العامل أكثر من خمس ساعات متتالية دون فترة للراحة والصلاة والطعام لا تقل عن نصف ساعة في المرة الواحدة خلا
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.