Uniform labor inspection regulations for GCC nations

Labor ministries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states are close to establishing a uniform labor inspection regime, an official revealed.
The Executive Bureau of the Council of GCC Ministers of Labor has drawn up a set of model guidelines to standardize labor inspection in the member states during its meeting in Bahrain on Monday.
The meeting also adopted a code of conduct for labor inspectors.
The meeting recommended increasing mutual visits and exchanging expertise between the GCC states, in addition to organizing training programs for the personnel working in the field of inspection.
The Council of GCC Labor Ministers will discuss the meeting’s recommendations in its next meeting set to take place in Bahrain in October.
Director of the Executive Office, Aqeel Al-Jassem, said the draft guidelines are part of the continuing efforts of the council of ministers to have a uniform system in place for all the member states to regulate labor inspections and related issues.
“The GCC states believe that the role of the labor ministries’ inspectorates is important, given their key role in law enforcement and providing stable working relationships based on mutual respect, which are significant factors in maintaining the efficiency and quality of the Gulf economies,” he said.
Al-Jassem said: “The council has been striving to implement the best practices in the area of inspection, which is what the model regulations aim to achieve.
The guidelines are compatible with many articles of the international conventions on labor inspection and the code of conduct adopted by the international labor associations for inspections.”
However, Al-Jassem said the guidelines would not violate any national legislation in force in the GCC countries.
“The new guidelines take into account the coherence among the GCC member countries in their legislative and executive levels in labor inspection,” he added.