JEDDAH — The Ministry of Labor has ordered the private sector to give all working Saudi mothers with an infant younger than 24 months an extra breastfeeding hour break aside from the official daily working hours, Al-Watan daily reported.



A source reported that the ministry has set a 40-hour working week for Saudi mothers instead of the standard 48 hours.



“The ministry is very keen to facilitate work for Saudi women so more of them will join the private sector workforce and reduce the high unemployment among Saudi women,” said the source.



According to the ministry’s new regulations, the hour could be divided into two breaks, half an hour each, if there was a nursery in the workplace. If there was not a nursery in the workplace, the mother can choose to take either an hour at the beginning or at the end of the day.



The source said: “The employee must notify her employer in writing of her break times. If she ever decided to change them she must also update her employer in writing.”



He added that the ministry clearly specified that the hour must be extra. “The mother is not excluded from any other official breaks given to all employees.



“In addition, the order applies to all mothers with infants younger than 24 months whether the mother breastfeeds her child or not.”



He added the ministry has set strict penalties against private companies violating the new regulationss. — SG