8.2.3 Does your university as a body have a policy on discrimination in the workplace (including discrimination based on religion, sexuality, gender, age)?
Al Maarefa University has a robust policy on non-discrimination in the workplace, which is in line with both Saudi labor law and its internal values. The university’s approach prohibits discrimination based on religion, sexuality, gender, and age, ensuring that all employees, whether Saudi or international, are treated equally and fairly. This includes providing equal opportunities for career advancement, fair treatment in recruitment processes, and a respectful, inclusive environment free from any bias.
Saudi labor law upholds these principles, safeguarding employees’ rights to be free from discrimination in all aspects of their employment. The law mandates that no individual should face discrimination based on personal characteristics such as religion, gender, sexual orientation, or age. This legal framework provides a strong foundation for the university’s commitment to fairness and equality.
Additionally, Al Maarefa University actively promotes a work culture where diversity is valued, and employees feel supported in expressing their identity and beliefs. Through its internal policies, the university ensures that all staff members, regardless of their background, have access to the same rights, benefits, and opportunities for professional growth.
This proactive stance on non-discrimination contributes to a healthy, productive, and dynamic workplace, aligning with the values of respect, equality, and inclusivity for all employees.
Employment & Labour Law: Saudi Arabia
12. What protection from discrimination or harassment are workers entitled to in respect of the termination of employment?
The KSA Labour Law also provides that “citizens are equal in the right to work without any discrimination on the basis of sex, disability, age or any other form of discrimination, whether during the performance of the work or when hiring or advertising it”.
The reference to citizens suggests that this anti-discrimination provision applies to Saudi nationals only and it therefore remains to be seen how widely this provision will be interpreted and applied in practice.
The KSA Labour Law also provides that employees cannot be dismissed whilst pregnant or on maternity leave (including during any period of sickness resulting from the pregnancy provided a medical certificate is provided).
Resolution No. 488 dated 14/9/1439H and Resolution No. 20912 dated Safar 1441 (the Anti-Harassment Laws) aim to protect an individual’s dignity, privacy and personal freedom in accordance with Sharia law by specifically prohibiting words, acts, implicit behaviour or innuendo of a sexual nature by one individual against another targeting that individual’s body, modesty or personal life by any means, including by modern technology and communications. Broadly, the Anti-Harassment Laws require employers to:
1. put in place, and publish to their workforce, an internal complaints procedure;
2. implement controls safeguarding the confidentiality of any complaints; and
3. take remedial action in respect of any breach of the Anti-Harassment Laws.
The Anti-Harassment Laws require any person who becomes aware of an act (or acts) of harassment to report the matter to the authorities. The Work Regulations (prescribed form work regulations published in 2015) set out a basic complaints procedure which employers should follow in the event of harassment complaints.
More recently, Resolution 39860 of 1440H makes it unlawful to treat women differently to men in terms of paying for work of equal value.
13. What are the possible consequences for the employer if a worker has suffered discrimination or harassment in the context of termination of employment?
A breach of the Anti-Harassment Laws may result in penalties of up to five years’ imprisonment and/or a fine of up to SAR 300,000. Any person aiding or assisting harassment will be liable to the same punishment as if he or she had been the perpetrator of the harassment.
Any person making a false or malicious complaint of harassment may result in penalties being imposed under the Anti-Harassment Laws of up to two and a half years’ imprisonment and/or a fine of up to SAR 150,000.
If an employee is dismissed whilst pregnant or on maternity leave, the employee will be able to claim invalid termination compensation, in addition to their statutory and contractual entitlements due on termination of their employment.
Saudi Arabia bans job discrimination based on gender, race
The Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has banned employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of race, colour, sex, age, disability, marital status, or any other form of discrimination, according to new reforms to human resources laws.
Under the reforms, employers must provide suitable housing for workers, an appropriate means of transportation from their place of residence to the workplace, and may replace that with an appropriate cash allowance.
The employers must refrain from forcing workers into labor, and not withhold without a judicial authority the workers’ wage or part of it, treat workers with respect, and refrain from any statement or action that affects their dignity and religion, the reforms state.
In addition, workers should be given the necessary time to exercise their rights stipulated in the law without deduction from wages in exchange for this time, and the employer may regulate the exercise of this right in a manner that does not prejudice the progress of work.
On November 4, the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development launched a reform to replace the sponsorship system (kafala in Arabic), which governs foreign worker mobility in Saudi Arabia.
Prior to the reforms, foreign workers sponsored by employers in Saudi Arabia required the permission of their employer to change jobs, open a bank account, travel out of the country and do other administrative tasks.
These reforms are meant to advance the country’s objective of diversifying its oil-dependent economy by increasing transparency in the employment process and streamlining immigration rules.
Chapter X: Employment of Juveniles and Women
1. Common Rules
Article 160:
Adolescents, juveniles and women may not be employed in hazardous operations or harmful industries, such as power-operated machinery, mines, quarries and the like. The Minister of Labor shall, by decision, designate the occupations and operations tat are regarded as harmful to health, or are apt to expose women, juveniles and adolescents to given hazards requiring tat their employment in such occupations or operations be prohibited or restricted by special conditions, in no case may men and women commingle in the place of work or in the accessory facilities or other appurtenances thereto.
Article 161:
Adolescents, juveniles and women may not be employed during the night time which covers an interval of at least eleven hours between sunset and sunrise, except in the cases to be determined by decision of the Minister of Labor in respect of non-industrial occupations and in cases of force majeure.
Article 162:
Juveniles and adolescents may not be employed for a period exceeding six hours a day, and the exceptions provided for in Articles 150 and 152 of this Law shall not apply to them.
3. Employment of Women
Article 164:
The workwoman shall be entitled to take as maternity leave the four weeks immediately preceding the expected date of delivery and six weeks following that date. The probable date of delivery shall be determined by the physician of the establishment or by a medical certificate approved by the Ministry of Health. No employer may employ any woman during the six weeks immediately following her delivery.
During her absence on maternity leave, the workwoman shall been titled to half pay if she has been in the employer’s service for one year or more, and to full pay if she has been in the employer’s service for three years or more, as of the date of commencement of such leave.
A workwoman shall not be paid any wages during her regular annual vacation to which she is entitled under the provision of these Regulations, if she had availed herself in the same year of a maternity leave with full pay, and she shall be paid half-wages during the annual leave, if she had availed herself in the same year of a maternity leave with half-pay.
Article 165:
When the workwoman returns to work following her maternity leave, she shall be entitled to a period or periods of rest totaling not more than one hour daily for the purpose of feeding her newborn child, in addition to the rest periods granted to all workers.
Article 166:
The expenses of medical examination and the costs of treatment and delivery shall be borne by the employer.
Article 167:
The employer shall not terminate the workwoman while she is on pregnancy and delivery leave.
Article 168:
The employer shall not terminate the workwoman during her illness resulting from work or delivery, provided that such Illness shall be confirmed by an approved medical certificate, and that the period of her absence shall not exceed six months. Nor shall she be terminated, without any of the legitimate causes provided for in this Law, during the six months preceding the expected date of delivery. Where a workwoman is terminated in breach of the provisions of this article, the appropriate Commission shall order her reinstatement
Article 169:
The workwoman shall forfeit her entitlements under the provisions of this Chapter if it is established that she has worked for another employing her authorized leave. In such event, the original employer may deprive her of pay for such leave or recover any wages he had paid to her.
Article 170:
By way of exception, the provisions prohibiting or restricting the employment of adolescents, juveniles and women shall not apply to charitable or official institutions of vocational or professional training character, provided that the bylaws of such institutions shall specify the nature of the trades and crafts involved, the working hours and terms of employment, and the suitability of the work to the workwomen’s physical capabilities, and that the Ministry approves the bylaws in question after consulting the Ministry of Health.
Article 171:
In all places and in all occupations where women are employed, they shall be provided with seats to assure their comfort.
Faculty Member: Rights, Obligations, & Duties
Pdf file attached in the evidence file
University of Almaarefa list of work organization
UM follows in all its policies and regulations the country system and the Ministry of Human Resources in fairness and equality between employees for both genders and for different nationalities.
Female Employee:
//hrdf.org.sa/Content/files/labor_system.pdf
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development seeks to enable persons with disabilities to obtain appropriate job opportunities and education that guarantees their independence and integration as active agents in society, and to provide them with all the facilities and tools that help them achieve success and invest the potential energies commensurate with their abilities and potentials through diversity in fields Professional training in accordance with the capabilities and needs of each group and employing medical, social, psychological, educational and professional services to help the disabled person achieve the maximum possible degree of functional effectiveness, with the aim of enabling him to comply with the requirements of his natural and social environment, as well as developing his capabilities to depend on himself and make him A productive member of society whenever possible.
Programs and initiatives
· The home social rehabilitation care program for people with disabilities, the elderly and the bedridden, where the preventive and social services they need in their family and social surroundings were provided with the aim of improving their personal abilities to reach independence and self-reliance, disbursing monthly financial benefits and specific medical devices for people with disabilities.
· Providing reduction cards for passengers on public transport and cards for traffic facilities, and giving them to people with disabilities, and identification cards for autism
· Introducing a visa fee waiver program for people with disabilities
Protection from harm
· Ensure the provision of protection from harm of all kinds.
· Providing assistance and treatment, and working to provide the necessary shelter, social, psychological and health care assistance.
· Take the necessary legal measures to hold the perpetrators accountable and punish them.
· Raising awareness among community members about the concept of victimization, and its implications.
· Addressing behavioral phenomena in society that indicate the existence of an appropriate environment for the occurrence of cases of abuse.
· Finding scientific and practical mechanisms to deal with abuse.
· The system of protection from abuse can be found through the website of the Council of Experts at the Council of Ministers by clicking here
Child Labor
//hrdf.org.sa/Content/files/labor_system.pdf
Protect children
· Emphasis on what was decided by Islamic law, and the international regulations and agreements to which the Kingdom is a party and which preserve the rights of the child and protect him from all forms of abuse and neglect.
· Protect the child from all forms of abuse and neglect and their manifestations that he may be exposed to in the surrounding environment.
· Ensure the rights of the child who has been subjected to abuse and neglect, by providing him with the necessary care.
· Spread awareness of the rights of the child and inform him of them
· You can also view the child protection system through the website of the Council of Experts at the Council of Ministers by clicking here
Different Nationality:
● All the privileges that the university grants to its employees are provided to everyone without exception such as: Health insurance, Bonuses, overtime, Allowances, leaves and others.
http://ess.um.edu.sa/MenaITech/application/hrms/MenaImages/Attachments/143929562414392956241338694361.pdf
http://ess.um.edu.sa/MenaITech/application/hrms/MenaImages/Attachments/143929571714392957175244678430.pdf
http://ess.um.edu.sa/MenaITech/application/hrms/MenaImages/Attachments/143929579214392957929306577054.pdf
So; based on the above; we can tell that the conditions to accept a new employee at UM are according to the one’s qualifications, far from any discriminations.
● UM applies a standardized salary scale for both genders, relying on skills, competencies and academic ranks.http://ess.um.edu.sa/MenaITech/application/hrms/MenaImages/Attachments/143929571714392957175244678430.pdf
● UM depends on the qualifications, abilities and experiences in appointment to senior positions without regard to gender, nationality or even age
Evidence: There are examples where higher positions are held by women’s such as (Vice Dean of the Female Section, Vice Dean of the College of Applied Sciences, Assistant Vice Rector, Vice Dean Assistant for Academic Affair, Directors of Departments), as well as positions held for different nationalities.
People of determination:
Acceptance Students of People of Determination
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education for Educational Programs: Developing curricula and study plans for special education in line with the characteristics of students with disabilities
The Ministry of Education has presented study plans and developed educational programs for students with disabilities in preparation for the new academic year, as they were aligned with the new study plans for general education, in order to achieve for students with disabilities a quality, equitable and inclusive education, enhance lifelong learning opportunities, meet their educational needs, and improve their learning outcomes. To achieve the goals of Vision 2030.
The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education for Educational Programs, Dr. Maha Al-Sulaiman, said: “The Ministry has completed work on developing study plans for special education in line with the characteristics of students with disabilities, by adding new subjects (English language – digital skills – social studies – physical education – self-defense). Including sign language in the family education curriculum and life skills for all educational levels in general education, and classes, in addition to activity and vocational training classes, as well as adding my school’s Quran activity to the study plans for special education in line with the characteristics of students with disabilities.Emphasizing that the development and change witnessed by special education and its programs will contribute to increasing learning opportunities and improving its outcomes for students with disabilities, investing the hours of the school day, and achieving positive outcomes in their education in terms of increasing learning opportunities and improving students’ performance in various academic subjects, as well as increasing Opportunities for them to acquire professional skills, in line with the requirements of the current era, to qualify them for the labor market and to make them productive members of society.
The Undersecretary for Educational Programs added that the study plan for the next academic year included updating plans, programs and operational models for returning to schools, in line with the characteristics and characteristics of students with disabilities in schools, centers and institutes of special education, and students of integration in public schools, noting that the beginning of the academic year coincides with Starting to determine the eligibility and appropriate educational environments for students of special education through the processes of diagnosis, evaluation and observation, providing awareness programs for families and parents, and ensuring that students with disabilities meet all their material and moral requirements, for a successful start of a new academic year.
Dr. Maha Al-Sulaiman pointed out that the specialized teams and committees in the Ministry of Education continue to follow up the launch of the new academic year 1443 AH with the educational administrations; To facilitate a successful launch for students of special education, by starting work to finish the various school equipment and buildings for all institutes, centers and programs and transferring books and educational courses to their offices and schools.
Enabling Access For People With Mobility Disabilities
SELECTING THE ACTIVE LINKS
The e-Portal provides the service of selecting/highlighting the active links by passing the mouse cursor on them and selecting them using the (Tab) key existing in your keyboard. Links will appear in a background color indicating their selection for helping individuals with kinesthetic disabilities or motor impairments who sustain tuned control difficulties. This service enables the e-Portal user to ensure they choose the appropriate link.
REDUCING THE NEED FOR NAVIGATION
The e-Portal provides the service of highlighting the active links by passing the mouse cursor on them and selecting them using the Tab key on your keyboard. Links will appear in a background color indicating their selection. This service will help individuals with kinesthetic disabilities or motor impairments who sustain difficulties of tuned control. This service enables the e-Portal user to ensure they choose the appropriate link.
NAVIGATING THE LINKS
The keyboard may be used without using the mouse. The following keys may be used instead of the mouse.
• Tab: navigating the links and illustrating the currently active link by changing its color.
• Enter: selecting the appropriate link.
• Space: scrolling down to the bottom of the page
• Backspace: returning to the previous page
• Arrows Keys: scrolling up and down within the page
KSA Statistical Report page 37-46
pages 3-4-5
