Government | Saturday 4 April, 2015 10:41 am |

Labor Minister Adel Fakeih disclosed recently that the affiliation of labor dispute settlement bodies with the Ministry of Justice will soon come to an end and will be transferred to the Ministry of Labor, pending the launch of the new labor courts in Muharram 1438AH.
The minister was speaking following the inauguration of a workshop regarding labor codes and principles held recently, in the presence of Minister of Justice Waleed Al-Samaani and a number of judges and interested parties.

"The labor codes, decisions and rulings issued by the labor commission represent a step forward in documenting labor judicial functions. In coordination with the Ministry of Justice, this process is expected to be completed next year. Once the process is completed, we will be able to transfer the responsibilities of the labor judicial functions to the Supreme Judicial Council, in line with the development of the judicial system as ordered by the king", said the minister.

Fakeih explained that the Ministry of Labor has spent the past two years developing the number of commissions for labor dispute settlements, including primary and supreme commissions, in addition to staffing such commissions with newly trained members. "The object is to minimize the litigation period for employers and workers," he said.
He added that the step to publish the new codes stems from the ministry's efforts to increased transparency in litigation, and to enable the employers, judges and other parties concerned to be familiar with the courts' rulings.
"The codes for the years 1431 and 1432 already have been issued, while other codes will also be issued to form a strong benchmarks for labor commission members, lawyers and others," said the minister.

He noted that other developmental projects to boost the competencies of labor commissions' members will also be implemented soon. Such projects, he added, will represent an operational model with positive effects, and will be concise in terms of time and effort. "We are cooperating with the Ministry of Justice in this regard."
Abdullah Al-Abdullatif, president of the Supreme Commission for the Settlement of Labor Disputes, confirmed that the ultimate goal of the codes is to satisfy clients, develop the commissions, reduce litigation periods and develop administrative competency.

"The inauguration of the electronic portal for the labor commission by the minister of labor will also help in the study and evaluation of the training needs of employees in these commissions. It will help establish a consultative center for further development of the mechanisms, in order to allow follow up on the labor laws, he explained.