RIYADH: The labor court in Riyadh announced a ruling against a business owner, instructing her to pay monthly salaries to a nurse who was contracted a year ago to work in a medical center. The defendant failed to pay the nurse’s salaries for several months, and did not commit to the contract agreement. The nurse then decided to file a case at the court after several failed attempts to resolve the issue directly with the owner. The court announced the rulings after several hearings as the defendant failed to make an appearance at the court despite the several notification messages. Labor courts in Saudi Arabia were officially launched last month in order to help organize and support the workforce inside the Kingdom. “Seeing rulings like this give us appreciation to the role those newly launched courts are going to play” says the ministry. “although we are still at the beginning but we can see great potential in these courts and how they can help the labor market in Saudi Arabia.” According to latest statistics, there are over 13.8 million employees across the Kingdom working in various industries. Labor courts will be attending to issues and disputes related to this workforce in Saudi Arabia.