Saudi Labour Law Article 81: when a worker may leave without notice
Not changed by the 2025 amendments
Article 81 of the Saudi Labour Law lets a worker leave without notice and keep all statutory rights if the employer fails essential obligations, deceived them when contracting, imposes substantially different work, assaults them or their family, treats them cruelly or insultingly, ignores a serious workplace hazard, or pushes them into appearing to resign.
This is general information to help you understand the topic. It is not legal advice. Rules and rates change: always check the official text on the relevant authority’s platform and consult a qualified adviser before acting.
What Article 81 says
A worker may leave without notice, keeping all their statutory rights, in any of these cases:
- The employer does not meet its essential contractual or statutory obligations towards the worker.
- Fraud when contracting: the employer or its representative deceived the worker about the terms or conditions of the work.
- Substantially different work imposed without the worker’s consent, contrary to Article 60.
- Violent assault or indecent conduct towards the worker or a family member by the employer, a member of the employer’s family or the responsible manager.
- Cruel, unjust or insulting treatment by the employer or the responsible manager.
- A serious hazard at the workplace threatening the worker’s safety or health, which the employer knows about and has not acted to remove.
- Being pushed out: the employer or its representative, by unjust treatment or breach of the contract, has led the worker to appear to be the one ending it.
Article 60 allows work essentially different from the agreed work only with the worker’s written consent, except in cases of necessity for temporary circumstances and for no more than 30 days a year.
Was it changed in 2025?
No. Article 81 is not among the articles the 2025 amendments changed, according to the ministry’s summary of the amendments.
Worked example
A worker with six years of service and a last actual wage of 10,000 SAR leaves under Article 81 after months of unpaid wages.
- End-of-service award under Article 84: (5 × 5,000) + (1 × 10,000) = 35,000 SAR.
- Had the worker simply resigned, Article 85 would give two thirds: 23,333.33 SAR.
- Leaving under Article 81 keeps the worker’s rights, so the award is not reduced, and the unpaid wages are owed on top.
What HR should do
- Pay wages on time through the Wage Protection System; late pay is the most common trigger.
- Get written consent before moving anyone to essentially different work, beyond the 30-day exception.
- Act on reported hazards and complaints about a manager’s conduct, and record what was done.
- If a worker cites Article 81, answer in writing and settle what is owed; disputes go first to the ministry’s amicable-settlement service, then the labour courts.
This page is a general explanation, not legal advice.
Official sources
Frequently asked questions
Is leaving under Article 81 a resignation?
No. The article lets the worker leave without notice while keeping all their statutory rights, so the end-of-service reduction that Article 85 applies to resignation does not apply. Whether the facts meet one of the seven cases is decided, if disputed, through amicable settlement and the labour courts.
Can a worker leave under Article 81 because wages are late?
Paying wages is one of the employer’s essential obligations, so serious or repeated non-payment is the case most often relied on under paragraph 1. Whether a particular delay is enough depends on the facts; keep the payslips, bank statements and messages that show it.
Does the worker need to give notice?
No. Article 81 allows leaving without notice. It is still wise to tell the employer in writing which case applies and why, and to keep a copy.
