Fatima Muhammad Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Saudi companies are continuing to have employees work outdoors in direct sunlight, with the Ministry of Labor on Monday announcing over 1,200 violations of the government's ban on working through the middle of the day. The ministry revealed there were 1,225 individual violations, bringing the total number of companies violating the ban to 798 since it came into effect on July 15. According to the ministry, it has handed out fines of between SR3,000 and SR10,000 to the staff responsible and ordered companies to halt operations for up to one month. Labor Law Article 236, which covers the work ban, says that if a company continues to violate the ban, the ministry can shut it down completely and impose fines. The law, which is in effect until Sept. 15, bans outdoor work from midday until 3 p.m. In a statement issued on Monday, the ministry said it was closely monitoring compliance with the ban across all companies and that the ministry staff are patrolling in different regions to document violations. The ministry also said it relies on violations documented online via social media and through the calls it receives on its 19911 hotline.
