The decision to raise the minimum wage will be decided outside the Labour Law with the approval of the Council of Ministers. It will be based on economic conditions and in consultation with stakeholders like workers (the General Federation of Oman Workers (GFOW) and the businesses (Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry), Ministry of Labour officials said at a press conference on Wednesday.
Sayyid Salim bin Musallam al Busaidy, Under-Secretary for Human Resources Development at the MoL, presided over the media briefing on the new Labour Law.
According to the ministry officials, the new law seeks to achieve several goals including enabling Omanis to assume leadership positions and making the labour market attractive for foreign investment.
The law offers a number of options for workers, including 10 paid hours a week and obliging the employer to implement procedures that make the work environment attractive. The Labour Law specified the mechanism for the transfer of workers to a different project and mandated the employer to employ Omanis who were working on the old project, by granting them the same wages and benefits agreed upon in the agreement.
The employer may terminate the worker's service for poor performance after giving him/her 6 months of grace period, provided that another Omani is appointed to fill the job. The employer can assign any worker to another institution on a temporary basis, as this includes reducing operating and recruitment costs, and this is often in jobs with high experience.
During the first year after childbirth, a woman is given an hour to take care of her child, and she determines the time according to her choice, whether it is at the beginning or end of work, or between working hours. The new law allows the worker to take up temporary jobs. Sick leave applications must be approved by the Ministry of Health if the employee takes treatment from a private hospital.
If an employee submits a fake medical certificate, legal actions will be initiated against him/her.
The new bylaw allows any worker doing night shift to change into a day duty if s/he proves his/her inability to do so.
It also mandates employers to roll out an evaluation system at their establishments and should avoid piling work on employees that may harm them.
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