Saudi Arabia will soon implement a new regulation that will enable domestic workers and private drivers to remain in full control of their salaries. The move is seen as a significant step towards labour reform in the country.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Development announced recently that sponsors of domestic workers and drivers are obliged to provide them with a bank ATM card to enable them to withdraw money as soon as they receive their salaries.

The regulation, to be implemented in six months, will put the onus on the sponsor to deposit the worker’s wages in their bank accounts from where they can do financial transactions independently.

Some banks are ready to roll out the ATM cards, which are known as “salary cards”.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Development said that these cards would ensure timely payment of wages to domestic workers. In addition, the system will enable the authorities to monitor the transactions.

The salary card is acceptable within the Kingdom, and it accepts deposits only from the sponsor.

There is no fee for transferring salary from the sponsor account to the household payroll card.