Saudi court overturns decision to cut salary of visually impaired employee RIYADH — The Administrative Court of Appeal in the Madinah region has upheld the verdict of the Administrative Court of Madinah to overturn an employer’s decision to deduct mo

RIYADH — The Administrative Court of Appeal in the Madinah region has upheld the verdict of the Administrative Court of Madinah to overturn an employer’s decision to deduct money from the salary of a visually impaired employee.

The employer’s decision was attributed to the failure of the employee to register his attendance through a fingerprint scanner, despite his regular attendance and fulfilment of his job duties.

The judicial ruling, published by the Board of Grievances, took into account the employer’s failure to consider the employee’s circumstances. The employee approached the court with a request to overturn the salary deduction, citing the difficulty of repeatedly travelling to the fingerprint scanner because of his visual impairment.

After reviewing the case and examining the relevant documents, the court decided that the employee’s failure to register his attendance through the fingerprint system did not constitute absence or negligence. The employer had previously accepted his justification and exempted him from the fingerprint-based attendance system in consideration of his health condition.

Moreover, his direct supervisor confirmed that he attended work regularly. The court consequently concluded that the employer’s decision was defective in its reasoning and ordered its annulment. The Administrative Court of Appeal subsequently upheld the ruling.