JEDDAH; The Saudi Supreme Judicial Council has approved the establishment of seven labor courts and 96 labor chambers across main cities in the country, in a move toward empowering the labor force.
The secretary-general of the council, Salman Al-Nashwan, revealed that this is the first phase of a long-term plan. The seven courts are distributed in the main cities, namely Riyadh, Makkah, Madinah, Buraidah, Dammam, Abha, and Jeddah; while the labor chambers are spread in general courts and appellate courts across the country.
The locations of the 96 labor chambers were chosen based on statistics provided by the Labor Ministry on the number of labor disputes based on regions over the past few years. The plan comes as the country prepares to launch a labor judiciary and start its duties sometime around September 2018.
“We have made a careful selection of the judges who will be handling labor courts based on their performance evaluation, their scholarly competence, seniority, high academic qualifications in law and have conducted judicial research related to labor judiciary and relevant international regulations,” said the council.
“They have enrolled in a number of specialized training programs in the judiciary training center.”
Previously the labor disputes have been under the umbrella of Ministry of Labor and Social Development, with the new structure, labor disputes now can be resolved inside specialized labor courts under the Ministry of Justice.
Under Article 34 of the Law of Civil Procedures, labor courts are competent to hear cases related to the labor law, such as disputes concerning labor contracts, wages, rights, and work injuries and compensations; disputes concerning the employer’s imposition of disciplinary sanctions on employees; lawsuits filed for imposing labor law sanctions; and disputes arising from applying the labor law and the social insurance law.
The Justice Ministry said that it has a clear vision toward labor courts, aiming at achieving excellence, reducing the duration of the litigation, achieving integrated digital processing, and bring more assurance and attractiveness to the labor market in Saudi Arabia by upholding justice in the business sector.
7 new labor courts and 96 chambers set up across KSA
7 new labor courts and 96 chambers set up across KSA
- Resolution of labor disputes, which previously were under the umbrella of Labor Ministry, are now to be resolved in specialized labor courts of the Ministry of Justice under the new structure approved by the Saudi Supreme Judicial Council.
Saudi wildlife center records rare sighting of critically endangered leatherback turtle in Red Sea
- NCW says the leatherback traveled thousands of kilometers to reach the Red Sea
- The closest known nesting grounds are located in India’s Andaman Islands, some 6,500 km distant
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's National Center for Wildlife (NCW) has documented a rare sighting of a leatherback sea turtle in the Red Sea, marking a significant biological record for one of the planet's most critically endangered marine species.
The sighting occurred approximately 30 kilometers off the coast of Al-Qunfudhah within the Blue Holes Protected Area, a newly established marine reserve, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The NCW confirmed that the presence of a leatherback in these waters is an exceptional event. Recognized as the largest turtle species on Earth, the leatherback can weigh up to 900 kilograms. It is easily identified by its unique leathery, black carapace—distinguished by five longitudinal ridges rather than a hard bony shell—and its ability to dive to depths exceeding 1,000 meters.
Noting the species' migratory nature, the center explained that leatherbacks travel thousands of kilometers foraging for jellyfish. The specimen likely navigated through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in search of food.
This is considered a remarkable journey, the NCW said, noting that the nearest known populations reside in the Indian Ocean, spanning waters from South Africa to Sri Lanka (roughly 7,000 to 8,000 kilometers away). The closest known nesting grounds are located in India’s Andaman Islands, approximately 6,500 kilometers distant. No nesting activity has been recorded in the Red Sea.
According to the IUCN Red List, the leatherback is Critically Endangered in the Indian Ocean. While data for the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf is scarce, recent isolated sightings include a juvenile recorded in Jordan in December 2025 and another off Djibouti in 2019.
The NCW emphasized that these rare appearances highlight the ecological importance of the Kingdom's marine conservation efforts in the Red Sea. The center pointed to the Farasan Islands Marine Protected Area, along with the new Blue Holes and Ras Hatiba reserves, as critical sanctuaries that could support the potential expansion of such endangered species' ranges.
