[Saudi Arabia] Expat employee awarded SR180,000 compensation for illegal termination

In southern Saudi Arabia, the Court of Appeal has issued a verdict awarding compensation amounting to SR180,000 to an expatriate employee, who was terminated without a valid reason and reported as having absconded in order to deprive him of his salary dues and end-of-service benefits, Saudi Gazette reports.

The employee approached the Court of Appeal after the First Instance Court had previously rejected his lawsuit. The Court of Appeal found that the employer sacked the employee without any valid reason and then submitted a malicious report to the Labor Office that he was absconding with the intention of harming him and depriving him of his salary dues and allowances.

The court ordered the employer to pay compensation for the damage incurred by the worker; including his expenses, the expenses of his family and house rent for the period following termination, in addition to lawyers’ fees.

Sources told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that the compensation ruling came after a similar ruling was issued by an administrative appeals court obliging an employer to pay all salary dues to the plaintiff for the remainder of the contract period for sacking him without a legitimate reason.

The employee initially approached the First Instance Court, seeking SR1 million in compensation for the harm caused to him as a result of the termination from his job eight months before the expiry of his contract period and the report of him running away from work that deprived him of his salary dues and allowances.

The court reportedly issued its ruling dismissing the lawsuit and he subsequently approached the Administrative Court of Appeal. In his lawsuit, the employee pleaded that he was sacked in violation of Article 77 of the Labor Law, eight months before the expiry of the labour contract and that the employer not only refused to transfer his service but also reported absconding with the intent of depriving him of salary dues and allowances.

The Administrative Court of Appeal found that the report submitted by the employer at the Labor Office was a malicious one against the employee and therefore it revoked the report of absconding.

In his petition with the Court of Appeal, the plaintiff stated that since the date his employer had filed the malicious absence report, he had remained unemployed. He was reportedly unable to either transfer sponsorship or renew his residency permit (iqama) for a period of 22 months. He stated that this caused material, moral and psychological damage to him and his family. He highlighted the inability of his daughter, who was studying outside the Kingdom, to reenter the Kingdom due to the expiry of iqama.

In southern Saudi Arabia, the Court of Appeal has issued a verdict awarding compensation amounting to SR180,000 to an expatriate employee, who was terminated without a valid reason and reported as having absconded in order to deprive him of his salary dues and end-of-service benefits, Saudi Gazette reports.

The employee approached the Court of Appeal after the First Instance Court had previously rejected his lawsuit. The Court of Appeal found that the employer sacked the employee without any valid reason and then submitted a malicious report to the Labor Office that he was absconding with the intention of harming him and depriving him of his salary dues and allowances.

The court ordered the employer to pay compensation for the damage incurred by the worker; including his expenses, the expenses of his family and house rent for the period following termination, in addition to lawyers’ fees.

Sources told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that the compensation ruling came after a similar ruling was issued by an administrative appeals court obliging an employer to pay all salary dues to the plaintiff for the remainder of the contract period for sacking him without a legitimate reason.

The employee initially approached the First Instance Court, seeking SR1 million in compensation for the harm caused to him as a result of the termination from his job eight months before the expiry of his contract period and the report of him running away from work that deprived him of his salary dues and allowances.

The court reportedly issued its ruling dismissing the lawsuit and he subsequently approached the Administrative Court of Appeal. In his lawsuit, the employee pleaded that he was sacked in violation of Article 77 of the Labor Law, eight months before the expiry of the labour contract and that the employer not only refused to transfer his service but also reported absconding with the intent of depriving him of salary dues and allowances.

The Administrative Court of Appeal found that the report submitted by the employer at the Labor Office was a malicious one against the employee and therefore it revoked the report of absconding.

In his petition with the Court of Appeal, the plaintiff stated that since the date his employer had filed the malicious absence report, he had remained unemployed. He was reportedly unable to either transfer sponsorship or renew his residency permit (iqama) for a period of 22 months. He stated that this caused material, moral and psychological damage to him and his family. He highlighted the inability of his daughter, who was studying outside the Kingdom, to reenter the Kingdom due to the expiry of iqama.