:: The Shoura Council has asked the General Authority of Sports (GAS) to help the organizational level of women’s sports to become an independent agency affiliated directly to the GAS Chairman.

The decision, based on a recommendation tabled by the House Committee of Social Affairs, Family and Youth, also asked the GAS to speed up development of sports cities and diversification of its functions in different parts of the Kingdom.

The Council, through its 15th ordinary session on Monday, called on the GAS to support sports activities of people with special needs through provision of suitable clubs and their enrolment in the normal clubs within programs suiting their needs.

In another decision, the Council approved the suitability of a study of amendments of articles 2, 75, 77, and 214 of the labor system.

The Shoura Council’s decision came after deliberations on a report presented by the House Committee of Social Affairs, Family and Youth on proposed amendments for some articles in the labor system.

The amendments are reportedly aimed at achieving a balance in contractual relations between the employer and his employees and stimulating the national cadres to work in the private sector with fair guarantees in case of termination for illegal reasons.

The Council also called on the Saudi Post Authority to speed up the initiative to shift into a commercially based authority, cope with the strategic plans of the national transformation program 2020 and increase the number of women employees in its branches.

Meanwhile, the Council asked the Economic Cities Authority to coordinate with the Ministry of Finance in providing the required government support for the next three years to meet its financial needs until it gets its own financial sources.

In another decision, the Council asked the Electricity and Co-Generation Regulatory Authority (ECRA) to evaluate the new electricity tariff and the proposed tariff in the future, taking into account operational efficiency and the financial situation in the Saudi Electricity Company, including the outstanding loans. It also called on the ECRA to render support to the Saline Water Conversion Corp. to cope with the privatization drive.