RIYADH: Changes to labor laws to protect employee rights will be among topics discussed by the Shoura Council on Monday.
In its 15th ordinary session, the council will explore two reports by the Social, Family, and Youth Affairs Committee on amending articles two, 75, 77, and 214 of the Labor Code.
The committee said that the private sector had misused Article 77 to dismiss Saudi employees. As such, this article infringed the principle of balance between the employer and the employee, and allowed employers to easily dismiss an employee without fair compensation.
Speaking to Arab News, Mohammed Al-Khunaizi, a senior member of the Shoura Council, said: “The issue of protecting workers’ rights is very important and slated to be discussed next week during the ordinary session.”
He added that the proposal also seeks to fix working hours in the private sector to 40-hours a week, which is practiced by many companies but needs to be adopted by all.
“It calls for a five-day week with two days off and the working hours should not exceed 40 hours a week; in case they exceed this, the employee must be financially compensated,” he said.
The council will also vote on topics recommended by several specialized committees regarding reports by government organizations for the current fiscal year, including the annual reports of the General Auditing Bureau, General Sports Authority and Education Evaluation Commission.
During their 16th ordinary session on Tuesday, Shoura members will discuss the annual reports of the Saudi Arabian National Guard Forces, Social Development Bank, and Ministry of Education. Other topics include a report by the Committee of Economy and Energy on the annual report of the Ministry of Economy and Planning for the fiscal year.
During its 17th ordinary session on Wednesday, the council will vote on a recommendation to be submitted by the Social, Family, and Youth Affairs Committee on a draft project concerning the donation collection and disbursement system within the Kingdom. The system is formed of 22 articles and organizes fundraising in the Kingdom by setting regulations for collecting donations.
Saudi Shoura Council to vote on change to labor laws
Saudi Shoura Council to vote on change to labor laws
Diriyah Co. awarded British Safety Council Sword of Honor for health and safety
RIYADH: Diriyah Company has been awarded the British Safety Council Sword of Honor for achieving a Five-Star Occupational Health and Safety Audit rating, becoming the first developer in the region to receive this certification.
To date, Diriyah Company has achieved a Total Recordable Incident Rate, or TRIR, of 0.017 for ongoing infrastructure projects.
Jerry Inzerillo, group CEO of Diriyah Company, said in a statement: “At Diriyah Company, safety and well-being are not just priorities; they are the foundation of everything we do.
“This important recognition from the British Safety Council highlights our commitment to world-class systems and processes, as well as setting new benchmarks in health, safety and crisis management.”
Peter McGettrick, chairman of the British Safety Council, added: “On behalf of the board of trustees and staff of British Safety Council I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to Diriyah Company on achieving their Five Star Audit and receiving the Sword of Honor this year.
“I applaud you for attaining the highest standards of health and safety management.
“Achieving recognition of this sort takes absolute dedication and the utmost professionalism.”
The Five Star Audit is a comprehensive, contemporary and quantified process that benchmarks health and safety management performance against the latest best-practice techniques.
Diriyah Company underwent a comprehensive, quantified and robust evaluation of its occupational health and safety policies, processes and practices.
The audit process included documentation review, interviews with senior management, employees and other key stakeholders, together with sampling of operational activities.
The audit measured performance against key health and safety management best-practice indicators and a detailed review of more than 50 component elements.
The British Safety Council’s Sword of Honor and Five-Star Audit rating are globally recognized benchmarks for excellence in health and safety management systems and highlight Diriyah Company’s commitment to fostering a culture of safety and protecting tens of thousands of workers, assets and operations at every level.
Diriyah, the City of Earth, will contribute about $18.6 billion (SR70 billion) directly to the Kingdom’s GDP, create more than 180,000 jobs and will be home to an estimated 100,000 people.
It will also include modern office space for tens of thousands of professionals in technology, media, the arts and education, museums, a university, the Royal Diriyah Opera House, the Diriyah Arena, as well as food and beverage outlets and nearly 40 world-class resorts and hotels across two of its main masterplans.
The company has a workforce of 50,000 and a heavy equipment fleet of more than 2,500 across its development area.
