Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2024, published 113rd ILC session (2025)

Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81) - Saudi Arabia (Ratification: 1978)

Articles 3(1) and 5(a) of the Convention. Labour inspection functions. Effective co-operation between the labour inspection services and other government services. The Committee notes that the Government has not addressed the Committee’s previous request. With reference to new paragraph 5 to section 196 of Labour Law, the Committee recalls once again that Article 5(a) requires appropriate arrangements to promote effective co-operation between the inspection services and other government services engaged in similar activities. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information on the relationship between the labour inspection services and other related services provided under the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. It also requests the Government to provide an organizational chart of the new Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development and local labour offices, detailing functional divisions between each department including the labour inspectorate within the Ministry and local offices.

Articles 3(1), 9 and 13. Labour inspection in the area of OSH. The Committee notes that according to the annual labour inspection reports, there were 13,146 “certified” accidents, of which 4,756 occurred in the construction and building sector, including 200 fatal accidents, in 2019; 846 occupational accidents including 22 fatal accidents in 2020; and 891 accidents in 2021. The Committee notes that the annual labour inspection reports do not include specific information on the OSH violations detected. The Committee requests the Government to indicate the reason for the considerable higher number of accidents reported in 2019, compared to the other years. The Committee requests the Government to indicate the measures taken to prevent and reduce fatal occupational accidents, including measures to strengthen the capacity of labour inspectors with respect to the monitoring of OSH, particularly in the construction sector. It requests the Government to continue to provide information on the number of occupational accidents, including fatal occupational accidents, and to indicate the occupation or sector concerned. The Committee once again requests the Government to provide further information on the implementation in practice by labour inspectors of the power, in accordance with Article 13, to make orders requiring measures with immediate executory force in the event of imminent danger to the health or safety of the workers, including the number of instances where undertakings were closed for more than one day.

Articles 12(1) and 15(c). Unannounced inspection visits and confidentiality of the source of any complaint. The labour inspection reports provide information on the number of inspections conducted in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 but it does not include information on the number of inspections initiated based on complaints made to the labour inspectorate or on measures taken by labour inspectors to ensure absolute confidentiality of complaints submitted. The Committee once again requests the Government to provide detailed information on measures taken by labour inspectors to ensure that workers are made aware in their own languages of the possibility of, and procedures for, submitting complaints to the labour inspectorate, and, with reference to Article 15(c) of the Convention, to ensure the absolute confidentiality of complaints submitted. It once again requests the Government to provide information on the number of announced and unannounced visits, including the number of inspections initiated upon complaints, the number of complaints received, the number of violations found and the nature of penalties issued as a result of complaint-based unannounced inspections.

Article 14. Notification of cases of occupational disease. In its previous comments, the Committee noted the persistent low number of cases of occupational disease notified and requested the Government to indicate measures introduced to improve the detection and identification of cases of occupational disease. The Committee notes that according to the annual labour inspection reports, the number of cases of occupational diseases sharply increased from 4 in 2018 to 27,798 in 2020 and 27,560 in 2021. The Committee requests the Government to indicate the reasons for the increase, including information on any measures introduced to improve the detection and identification of cases of occupational disease, as well as their notification to the labour inspectorate. It once again requests the Government to indicate any efforts made to collect information from migrant workers’ countries of origin in this regard.

Articles 20 and 21. Content of the annual labour inspection reports. The Committee notes that the Government has provided the 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 labour inspection reports, which cover most of the subjects required under Article 21 of the Convention. The Committee notes however that the 2020 labour inspection report does not include information on occupational accidents and diseases and that none of the reports included information on actual penalties imposed. The Committee requests the Government to continue to regularly publish and communicate to the ILO the annual labour inspection reports which will contain information on all subjects listed in Article 21 of Convention No. 81, including occupational accidents and diseases.The Committee requests the Government to indicate the measures taken to integrate annual statistics on penalties imposed in labour inspection reports, in accordance with Article 21(e) of the Convention.