Huroob is defined as an Arabic term pertaining to escape, abscond, or run away. According to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Labor Law, an employer has to inform or report to passport authorities if his or her employee, a Saudi Expatriate, does not report or is absent from work for a certain duration. Once reported, the employee will be declared a Huroob or a run away.
An employee or a Saudi expatriate who has been reported to the passport authorities and was declared huroob will be chastened with the following penalties:
- A huroob’s Iqama ID or the Saudi Recidency permit will be cancelled.
- Because his or her Iqama ID or the Saudi Recidency permit is cancelled, he or she cannot stay in the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia anymore.
- A huroob’s benefits and legal rights as a legal employee will be cancelled.
- A huroob will have to leave the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through various deportation centers (Tharheels)
An employer or sponsor who fails to report the absence of an employee will be penalized because it is stated in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Labor Law that reporting absenteeism is mandatory. The employer or sponsor and the employee or Saudi expatriate shall be punished with the following penalties:
- The employer or sponsor will be fined with 5,000 SR for first offense, 10,000 SR for the second offense, and 15,000 SR with one month imprisonment for the third offense.
- The Huroob or run away employee will be deported to his or her home country at the expense of the employer or sponsor. On the other hand, if he or she was working on his or her own, the deportation fees shall be charged to him or her.
There are instances when employer or sponsors misuse the Huroob provision. In such cases, an employee may approach his or her employer through the labor court in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The employee or Saudi expatriate may file his or her claims of maltreatment, non-payment of salaries, and other causes of misunderstandings between the parties.
As stated in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Labor Law, an employer or sponsor cannot terminate the employee or Saudi expatriate contract without offering the employee an award. Furthermore, an advance notice or insurance, except in some cases, must also be offered. Lastly, an employer must give the employee a chance to tell his or her reasons for resisting the termination.
