Employee can be terminated only with a unanimous decision of probe panel

RIYADH — It was stipulated in the executive regulations of Saudi Arabia’s Job Discipline Law that termination of an employee from service, as part of disciplinary measures, shall be based on a unanimous decision of the committee that has been constituted to investigate the charges against him.

According to the executive regulations, a copy of which was seen by Okaz/Saudi Gazette, there should be a four-member probe committee, comprising of a chairman and three members, including a representative from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD).

The probe panel can carry out the investigation into the complaints against the employee through electronic means remotely. The employee who is facing charges shall be informed precisely about the disciplinary violations attributed to him and will listen to his clarifications in this regard.

The regulation stipulates that the committee shall submit its report to the minister within a period not exceeding three months from the date of referring the disciplinary violation to it.

The employee is entitled to appeal against the committee’s decision. It is noteworthy that Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Ahmed Al-Rajhi recently approved the executive regulations of the Job Discipline Law, which was approved by the Council of Ministers in September 2021.

The Saudi Labor rules and regulations provide a range of disciplinary measures that an employer can consider before taking disciplinary action against an erring employee.