There is absolutely no doubt that Oman's Ministry of Manpower is one of the key government departments offering its services to both the public and private sectors, particularly the latter.
The Ministry of Manpower carries out a multitude of vital services to the people, especially those related to expatriate manpower. It organizes and monitors the movement of expatriate labor force in the best way possible. In parallel, the Ministry carries out the prime task of establishing colleges of technology and vocational training centers, and monitoring the training process in all learning centers affiliated to it, with the aim of turning out a qualified and capable national cadre with innovative abilities to suit the requirements of the labor market, not least that of the private sector.
A statement by Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Bakri, minister of manpower, released by local papers last Tuesday, attracted my attention. Newspapers quoted the minister as reaffirming the granting of a grace period of two months starting from February 1, 2010 to March 31, 2010 to expatriate workers found in breach of labor law, including those who are released from sponsorships or those with expired labor cards or absconders of all categories, to leave the Sultanate taking advantage of the exemption granted to them from the prescribed fees and fines.
To be sure, such a positive step taken by the Ministry is an achievement in itself, which constitutes another feather in its cap. The new decision has indeed given the expatriate labor force and the sponsors a golden opportunity to initiate the required procedures for repatriation at the earliest without being legally accountable. Above all, the decision goes a long way toward safeguarding the country from the negative impacts of a section of the labor force that breaches the laws and regulations prevailing in the Sultanate.
The Manpower Ministry's initiative in this regard has been welcomed by both the public and private sectors. It is a matter of delight that a number of employers have responded to the decision positively by taking the necessary steps to rectify the expatriate manpower status in their establishments in the course of the next two months.
We appreciate the efforts by the Ministry of Manpower in terms of facilitating the clearance of documents of employers, but at the same time, we request the manpower minister to involve Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) in any discussions related to expatriate manpower. This is because OCCI represents the business fraternity and the proprietors of companies. It is for the common good that a dialogue takes place between the ministry and the chamber (in its capacity as a key partner on issues related to labor).
In fact, Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Bakri, minister of manpower, is keen on straightening out labor market irregularities, something which he reaffirmed in his statements released in local papers the other day, when he was quoted as saying during a meeting with officials at the ministry, in the presence of Sayyid Hamad bin Hilal Al Busaidi, undersecretary of the Ministry of Manpower for Labor Affairs, that his ministry was going ahead with further procedures toward regulating the labor market. The minister pointed to the various measures his ministry has taken in partnership and cooperation with the private sector and through the services and facilities provided to employers, saying such initiatives have produced positive results in terms of correcting the expatriate manpower status in the country.
The minister said that the process of regulations in the grace period fixed by the ministry, especially for rectifying the status of the expatriate labor force through the transfer of sponsorships from one establishment to another; or change of profession; or repatriation of expatriate manpower in breach of the labor law but with exemption from fines and fees, were going according to plan. The minister asked the private sector and sponsors to avail themselves of this opportunity.
Without doubt, such measures adopted by the government represented by the Ministry of Manpower would, as rightly stated by the minister, further ramp up development programmers and provide more job opportunities to the national manpower, particularly in the private sector. The government initiatives in this regard will also help in monitoring the implementation of the provisions of the Omani Labor Law more effectively like, for example, ensuring safety and occupational health measures in companies through periodic checks by labor inspection officials.
- Essa bin Mohammed Al Zedjali is chairman and editor in chief Times of Oman.
