The fourth annual conference of the General Federation of Oman Workers (GFOW) hopes the labour law will protect workers' rights apart from addressing the problems and challenges related to work environment.
The conference was held at Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC) on Wednesday.
The federation also hoped that the new social protection law would ensure social security during work and retirement.
In its final communique, GFOW said that it would submit proposals on raising the minimum wage, which will encourage more nationals to join the private sector, besides having awareness campaigns to explain the provisions of new laws to avoid disputes that may arise while trying to understand its implications and objectives.
Speaking to the media, Mostafa Saeed, Labour Activities Adviser at the Regional Office for Arab Countries of the International Labour Organisation, said, "The Covid-19 crisis showed the importance of workers having their rights and the right to negotiate, and in countries without effective trade unions, the impact of the crisis on workers was very harsh."
The federation sought to strengthen the roles and competencies of unions in the legislations that regulate work to achieve their goals of protecting the interests of workers and preserving their rights. Currently, there are 327 trade unions in the Sultanate of Oman and seven federations representing various sectors.
Earlier, Shaikh Nasr bin Amer bin Shuwain al Hosni, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Labour for Labour, said, "The GFOW has played an important role in drafting the terms of reference for the new Labour Law, which will keep pace with current and future economic, social, and developmental developments."
Earlier, Nabhan al Battashi, Chairman of the Board of Directors, GFOW, said, "We will focus on discussing the new draft labour and social protection laws and the job security system."
In its report, the federation said that the repercussions of the pandemic are still being felt as there are still many labour issues and complaints, primarily related to delaying the payment of wages, refraining from paying salaries for several months, or liquidation of private sector institutions with large number of national and expatriate manpower. Complaints were also received regarding working conditions. The number of labour complaints and cases of termination of work contracts during the period 2019-2022 stood at 4,807.
Other key recommendations include increasing the presence of women in trade unions by forming various working committees with women and submitting legislative proposals to meet the challenges that hinder the growth of trade unions and federations in the country.
It was also decided to meet the members of the General Assembly every two years.
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