By Abdulrahman Al-Misbahi

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH – Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Ahmed Al-Rajhi has approved the conditions for “part-time work”, which will come into effect in July, Okaz/Saudi Gazette has learnt.

The ministry has made it conditional that the working hours for a part time worker should be half the normal working hours in the firm. Only Saudi nationals are the beneficiary, the ministry said.

Any employee working on a part time work contract in an enterprise owned by a Saudi employer, will be counted in the Saudization percentages in Nitaqat. He will also be registered in the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) as a part time worker.

The employer will not be compelled to compensate the employee who is on a “flexible work” system contract for paid leaves, including annual leave, occasion leaves, and sick leave. In addition, the worker will not have to go through a probation period, but his work contract will be subject to the pensions branch of GOSI.

The part time Saudi worker will be counted as one third of a fulltime Saudi employee, in the Saudization percentages in Nitaqat Program.

It is conditional that a part time worker completes a total of 168 hours of work. He is employed on an hourly wage, according to the “flexible contract” system, and he will be paid every month or as the two parties agree upon.

The bylaw has made it conditional that a worker on a flexible contract should not be compelled to work for more than 95 hours per month for a single employer. The worker on a flexible contract system has the right to accept or refuse to work, any time he is asked to work, without taking any measure against him.

The work contract conditions stipulate that it should be a specific period electronic contract, with a specified hourly wage, and it is permissible to specify or amend the work duty hours, depending on agreement between the two parties.

To employ workers on the “flexible work” system, the contract must be attested at the portal specified by the ministry. Disputes that might arise regarding the “part time work” or “flexible work” contract will be looked into by the labor courts, as such contracts come under their jurisdiction.