Human rights organisation the Saudi Society of Labour has been denied permission to legally register since May 2007. The Saudi Society of Labour works to protect the rights of workers, tackle unemployment in Saudi Arabia, improve and develop the performance of Saudi workers, activate labour unions while adhering to the Kingdom’s laws, empower the female workforce, and offer foreign language courses and computer training.

Further Information

The Committee of Founders of the Saudi Society of Labour was formed in August 2007, with Mr Anice Alansari as its president. Despite the fact that the Society has been denied permission to legally register, it reportedly has now more than 4,000 members and has developed an online forum, www.saudi-workers.org, in which members discuss job-related issues.

On 31 January 2010, Anice Alansari gave a statement to the press complaining about the continued refusal to register the Saudi Society of Labour. Efforts to register the Society have been ongoing since 2007. The Society also seeks authorisation to monitor and inspect private sector firms and to document any human rights violations.

The founders initially attempted to register the Society in mid-2007 by contacting the Minister of Labour asking for a meeting regarding their application. They subsequently received a telephone call from the head of the Minister’s office advising them to give up the whole idea.

On 8 July 2007, Anice Alansari gave a statement on the issue to Al-Madina national newspaper and, as a result, he was summoned by the Ministry of Labour. The head of the Labour Committee and the deputy secretary for Public Relations and Committees allegedly told Anice Alansari that he had no right to criticise the Ministry in the press and that he should offer a formal apology.

In November 2007, a second registration application was declined by the Ministry of Labour. On this occasion Anice Alansari reportedly received a telephone call from the Labour Minister’s office informing him that the organisation had been refused registration because there were already other existing bodies that played a similar role.

In mid-2008, the founders of the Saudi Society of Labour went to the Ministry of Social Affairs to discuss the Society's registration application. They were informed that the mandate of the Ministry is only to authorise philanthropy and cooperative societies.

At the end of 2008, the founders of the Society complained to the National Commission of Human Rights (NCHR). The NCHR advised the founders to wait until the establishment of a commission which will specialise in regulating civil society organisations. To date, no such commission has been formed.

According to Saudi law, civil societies are not allowed to form or conduct activities without prior authorisation. Although permission to register was granted to the semi-official Saudi Human Rights Society, this has not been the case for independent human rights groups such as the Saudi Society of Labour, Human Rights First Society (HRFS) and the Legal Support Society.

Front Line believes that the refusal to register human rights organisation the Saudi Society of Labour constitutes a violation of the right to freedom of association.