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Post # 1
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Join Date: 05 Mar 2015
Location:  OmanPosts: 24 |
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Salary law not helping 50% of expat workers in Oman |
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Salary law not helping 50% of expat workers in Oman
Muscat: Nearly 18 months have passed since the Sultanate’s wage protection system came into effect, still only half of the expatriate workers are receiving their salary through banks, the Times of Oman has learnt. In January 2014, a wage protection system (WPS) was introduced by the Ministry of Manpower and the Central Bank of Oman (CBO), making wage payment in the private sector mandatory through authorised banks and financial institutions. However, referring to the official data, a Majlis Al Shura member said that only 600,000 of the 1.2 million expatriates working in Oman are getting their salaries credited into their banks accounts. “Isn’t it surprising? We can understand that a few expatriates may be running their own business with a silent Omani partner, but what about the rest? This reveals that many are bypassing the WPS norms set by the government,†said Tawfiq Al Lawati, a member from the Majlis Al Shura. The system was implemented to create an accurate database pertaining to the wages of workers in the private sector and to control the processes. The programme comes under Article 53 of the Labour law. Under the article, salaries are to be deposited in bank accounts. It states, “The employer will be held responsible for the employee’s salary until it is deposited in his account in one of the locally approved banks. A decision by the minister may determine the exceptions to this rule.†Verifying the Shura member’s statement, an official from the Central Bank of Oman (CBO) also said that they have confirmed that only a few companies have linked their wage distribution system to banks. “The system was initiated to protect the rights of workers and to avoid salary disputes. However, the number of companies joining the system is too low,†said the official who refused to be named. “Similar systems are present in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Qatar. It was done in different phases to cover everyone. Oman could also have achieved it in phases and covered everyone,†added the official. “Moving a step forward, other than creating a salary account for workers, the UAE government issued them with electronic cards. Moreover, the government also instructed that the companies failing to deposit the salary of their workers in banks would not be issued visas,†said the official, adding that it should be seen as a commitment rather than a profit-making business. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) implemented the wage protection system in way back in 2010. “The WPS helps to protect the rights of workers because it allows the Ministry of Labour to create a database that maintains records of wages in the private sector to guarantee timely, efficient and regular payment,†said Dr Ahmed Al Hashemi, director of Middle East Centre for Training and Development (MECTD), who has played a key role in initiating the WPS in the UAE. Narrating their plight to Times of Oman, some expatriate workers alleged that their employers deposit their salaries into their accounts, but as they have taken away their debit cards, they withdraw the money and pay them less than what is mentioned in the contract. “It happens every month, but what can we do? We cannot even complain, because even if we do, our bank statements reflect that our salary has been credited in full and withdrawn later through our own debit cards,†said the workers. Source:timesofoman http://timesofoman.com/article/60520/Oman/Government/Salary-law-not-helping-expatriate-workers-in-Oman |
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