Article 80 of Saudi Labor Law: Termination w/o benefits

Article 80 of the Saudi Labor Law specifies nine circumstances in which an employer may dismiss a worker without paying End of Service Benefits or providing a notice period. You are, however, still entitled to the unpaid pay.

The termination under Article 80, on the other hand, can only be carried out after the employee has been given a reasonable opportunity to explain why he or she is opposing to the termination. The following are the nine scenarios:

Article 80 of the Saudi Labor Law

1– Worker assaults employer

Under Article 80, if a worker assaults the employer or any of his representatives while at work or as a result of his work, the employer has the right to fire him (1).

2- Employee fails to perform his duties

If an employee does not comply with Article 80 (2), the employer has the right to fire them.

• Carry out his important responsibilities.
• Comply with all legal orders.
• Observe all safety precautions.

3- Worker Misconduct

Under Article 80 (3) of Saudi Labor Law, an employer has the right to fire an employee for misconduct, dishonesty, or infringement without having to pay a notice period.

4- Intentional mistake

Under Article 80 (4), an act of making an intentional mistake with the intent to harm the employer can result in immediate termination without benefits if the employer reports the act to the appropriate authorities within 24 hours.

5- Forgery of documents

If an employee is implicated in document forgery, he can be fired without any ESB under Article 80 (5).

6- Probation

During the probation period, an employee might be fired under Article 80 (6).

7- Absent from Work

Article 80 (7) of Saudi Labor Law allows an employer to dismiss a worker without pay if he is absent from work for;

After 30 days in a year, the employer has issued a written warning.
15 days in a row, with the employer issuing a written warning after 10 days.

8- Undue benefits 

If an employee uses his or her authority at work for personal gain, the employer has the right to fire him under Article 80. (8).

9- Breach of confidentiality

Under Article 80, revealing work-related, industrial, or commercial secrets to someone who is not authorized to receive such information can result in immediate termination without pay (9).

Furthermore, the Saudi public prosecution noted in one of its tweets that exposing confidential information might result in a 20-year prison sentence and an SR 1 million fine.

Article 80 is basically a mirror image of Article 81 of the Saudi Labor Law, which grants employees the ability to resign without cause.