HAIL: The Ministry of Labor has issued circulars informing the Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the summer working hours law ahead of its introduction on July 1. The law bars work in sun-exposed conditions from midday to 3 P.M. for the entirety of July and August, and the ministry has reiterated that the measure will be strictly imposed. The only exceptions to the law are workers at oil and gas companies and emergency maintenance workers, all of whom are required instead to “take the necessary measures to guard against harm from the sun's rays”. The law also stipulates that employees are to work no more than eight hours a day or 48 hours per week, depending on each company's schedule policy. Those hours are reduced in Ramadan for Muslims to six and 36, but can be increased to nine a day or reduced to six depending on the nature of the employee's work, its inherent dangers or repetitiveness. Offending companies will be subject to fines of between SR3,000 and SR10,000 for each offense, or closure for up to 30 days or permanent closure, or both fines and closure. The summer sun working hours law for the private sector was announced by the Ministry of Labor last year, but has only been brought into effect this year in order to give firms time to adapt their work plans and avoid disrupting operations.
