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Saudi Arabia – Thousands of companies fined for flouting labour laws

02 September 2014

Over the past nine months Saudi Arabia’s ministry of Labour has issued fines of SAR 10 million (USD 2.6 million) to companies that have flouted the country’s strict labour laws, reports mubasher.com.

The Labour Ministry identified more than 62,000 violations of the countries labour laws during its periodic inspections, according to Deputy Labour Minister Abdullah Abu Ethnian.

The Ministry recorded 9,500 cases of companies hiring expats without sponsoring them and almost 3,400 cases of neglecting to prepare a proper working environment for female staff in shops selling women’s accessories.

An estimated 2,200 cases were against firms flouting the mid-day work ban during the summer months, forcing their employees to work outdoors, often in temperatures in excess of 40c.

The Ministry has issued fines ranging from SAR 50,000 (USD 13,330) to SAR 100,000 (USD 26,660) on those found to be violating the regulations. Other penalties included bans on recruitment from between one and five years, depending on the severity of the violation.

Mr Ethnian added that the Ministry would continue its crackdown on all labour violations across the Kingdom.