Saudi Shoura green lights two-day weekend

Saudi Arabia’s Shoura council has approved a two-day weekend for the private sector, increasing the current one-day break per week, according to press reports in the Kingdom.

The Administration and Human Resources Committee of the council approved the change in review and study of amendments to the labour law, as suggested by the Ministry of Labour.

The committee also approved the limit of 40 working hours per week, and an extension of the probationary period of Saudi employees from three months to six months.

The current labour law states that a Saudi employee is subjected to a 90-day trial period, which must be clearly stated in the employment contract. The amendment states that this 90-day trial period can be extended to 180 days through a written agreement.

Another amendment to the labour law approved by the committee is the Muslim working women will be granted 130 days leave for bereavement in case of the death of a spouse. This is an increase from the current 15 days, which will continue to apply for non Muslims.

The 150-member Shoura Council is the Gulf kingdom's main consultative and legislative body. While the council has the power to propose and draft laws, final say on all such matters lie with Saudi Arabia's absolute monarch King Abdullah.