Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2021, published 110th ILC session (2022)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Saudi Arabia (Ratification: 1978)

Article 1(1) of the Convention. Prohibited grounds of discrimination. Legislation. The Committee noted in its previous comments the extension in 2019 of the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination in section 3 of the Labour Law (i.e. “sex, disability and age”) to include “any other form of discrimination” in recruitment, including job advertisements and in the course of employment. It asked the Government to: (1) consider the possibility of including in section 3 of the Labour Law an explicit reference to all the grounds other than sex set out in the Convention (race, colour, religion, national extraction, political opinion and social origin) to avoid any divergent legal interpretations; and (2) clarify whether the non-discrimination provision of section 3 applies to non-citizens. Regarding the incorporation in section 3 of the Labour Law of an explicit reference to the additional grounds of discrimination set out in the Convention, the Government refers in its report to the “Unified Work Environment Regulations in the private sector” prohibiting discrimination during the performance of work, recruitment or in job advertisements, as well as in access to vocational training, on grounds such as sex, disability, age or any other form of discrimination (Regulation No. 4904 of 1442 Hegire (2020)). The Committee asks the Government to take the necessary steps to amend section 3 of the Labour Law with a view to incorporating a comprehensive definition of discrimination which includes direct and indirect discrimination and explicitly includes the seven grounds listed in the Convention. It also asks the Government to indicate whether there have been cases in which the courts have interpreted the expression “any other form of discrimination” as including discrimination based on the other grounds listed in the Convention. Recalling once again that the Convention applies to all workers (nationals and non-nationals), and observing that the Government has not clarified whether the prohibition of discrimination in section 3 of the Labour Law applies only to “citizens”, the Committee is bound to request the Government to ensure that the non-discrimination provision in section 3 also applies to non-citizens so that it covers migrant workers.

Discrimination against migrant workers. The Committee previously urged the Government to continue: (1) taking steps to ensure that all migrant workers, including women migrant workers, enjoy effective protection against discrimination on the grounds set out in the Convention, including effective access to dispute settlement mechanisms and the right to change employer in the event of abuse; (2) taking active measures to increase the effective enforcement of existing legislation and carrying out awareness-raising activities concerning the respective rights and duties of migrant workers and employers; and (3) providing information, disaggregated by sex, race and colour, on the number of complaints lodged by migrant workers, and the number of complaints or cases that have been brought before the courts, and the remedies granted to victims. The Committee observes that, within the framework of the National Transformative Programme and the Labour Reform Initiative (2020), Decision of the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development No. 51848 of 1442 Hegire (2020) was adopted to allow for the possibility of a migrant worker putting an end to his/her employment contract and therefore changing the sponsor/employer providing that a notice period of 90 days is given. According to the Government, within this framework, migrant workers are not now required to obtain an exit visa to leave the country. The Committee notes that the Residence Regulations, issued by Act No. 17/2/25/1337 of 4 June 1959, regulating the entry and exit visa of migrant workers to and from Saudi Arabia, are still in force and have not been amended. Migrant workers are therefore still obliged to obtain permission from the employer or sponsor to leave the country. It notes however the information provided by the Government under the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29), according to which it has adopted procedures to regulate and facilitate the granting of visas to workers to enable them to leave the country without the agreement of the employer.

With regard to raising awareness of the respective rights and duties of migrant workers and employers, the Government refers to the Labour Education online portal established to provide information on labour legislation and working conditions, as well as advice services in four languages, including English and Arabic. Awareness campaigns were also conducted through social media in collaboration with the embassies of the countries of origin of migrant workers, business centres, recruitment agencies, etc. According to the Government, during the first half of 2021, amicable settlement departments dealt with 65,789 cases, most of them related to working conditions and trafficking of migrant workers. The Committee takes note of this information. The Committee asks the Government to: (i) take steps to ensure that Decision of the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development No. 51848 of 1442 Hegire (2020) is applied in practice and monitored, and to provide information on the nature and number of cases in which a request for a transfer to another employer has been refused and the basis for such refusal; (ii) communicate a copy of the text regulating the procedures that have been adopted to facilitate migrant workers to leave the country when they have not obtained the agreement of the employer/sponsor, including information on the criteria on the basis of which the employer may still object to a worker’s departure from the country; and (iii) provide statistical information disaggregated by sex and the other prohibited grounds of discrimination on the nature and number of complaints lodged by migrant workers, and on the number of complaints or cases that have been brought to the courts, their outcome and the remedies granted. It also asks the Government to provide information on the complaints lodged (formally or informally) regarding discrimination in wages and conditions of work between migrants and nationals, and also within the migrant community between migrants of different national origin, for the same type of jobs; as well as statistical information disaggregated by sex and the other prohibited grounds of discrimination on the number and nature of the complaints lodged by migrant workers, and on the number of complaints or cases that have brought to the courts, their outcome and the remedies granted.

Article 2. National equality policy. With regard to the adoption of a national equality policy, the Committee notes the Government’s indication that the draft national equality policy is being prepared, in consultation with the ILO and partnership with the government authorities concerned and employers’ and workers’ representatives and that a draft has been submitted for adoption to the competent authority. The Committee hopes that the national equality policy will be adopted in the near future and asks the Government to provide information on any progress in this regard.

Promoting women’s employment. In its previous comments, the Committee asked the Government to: (1) continue taking concrete steps to develop training and job opportunities in a wider range of occupations, including non-stereotypical jobs and decision-making positions, and to assist women to reconcile work and family responsibilities, for example through the development of childcare facilities; and (2) specify whether all sectors targeted by the Saudization policy are open to women. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the National Platform for Women Leaders was launched as a tool for the authorities to communicate with women leaders with a view to nominating them to leadership positions in official bodies and delegations, as well as to decision-making positions. The Government indicates that to date 1,700 women are working in the private and public sectors and 20 per cent of the seats in the Consultative Council are occupied by women. It also indicates that efforts have been made to assist women to reconcile work and family responsibilities, including by developing the “Qurrah” programme, an e-service provided by the Human Resources Development Fund (Hadaf) that organizes childcare services with a view to supporting an increase in the number of Saudi women working in the private sector. The programme contributes to supporting women’s empowerment by paying part of the cost of the monthly fees for registration in a child hospitality centre licensed by the “Qurrah” programme, up to a maximum of SR800 (US$213) a month per child and for a maximum of two children between the ages of 1 month and 6 years. As of 2020, some 4,185 beneficiaries have been provided with this service and a total of 4,928 children have benefited from the services of child hospitality centres. There are currently 374 accredited child hospitality centres under the programme throughout the country. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that, within the framework of the Saudization policy, a number of sectoral activities have been opened to women, such as pharmaceutical and dental occupations, real estate and commercial sectors, which has contributed to the entry of 417,165 Saudi men and women into the labour market, of whom 54 per cent are women. The Committee asks the Government to continue providing information on the measures taken to enhance the participation of women in the labour market, including through measures to address stereotypes regarding women’s professional aspirations, preferences and capabilities, and their role in the family. The Committee encourages the Government to continue taking steps to address the legal and practical barriers to women’s access to the broadest possible range of sectors and industries, at all levels of responsibility, and to promote a more equitable sharing of family responsibilities between men and women, and to report on the results achieved in this regard. 

Article 5. Special protection measures. Restrictions on women’s employment. In its previous comments, the Committee asked the Government to provide information on the steps taken to enforce the application of the 2012 Ministerial Decree prescribing that women no longer need the authorization of a guardian to work and on any cases brought to the labour inspectorate or a court concerning failure to comply with the Decree, and their outcome. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the 2012 Decree has been implemented by the enactment of Decision No. 14 of 1442 Hegire (2020) and Royal Decree No. 5 of 1442 Hegire. The Committee notes with interest that, as a result, section 150 of the Labour Law (prohibiting night work by women) has been abrogated and section 186 amended, so that work in mines or quarries is not prohibited for women any more, only for workers under 18 years of age. The Committee notes however that section 142 of the Labour Law provides that the Minister shall specify industries and occupations in which the employment of women is prohibited. In light of the above, the Committee asks the Government to take the opportunity of the ongoing labour review process to ensure that any restrictions on women’s employment are limited to maternity in the strict sense, and to provide information on any steps taken in this regard.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.