KUWAIT CITY, July 28: “The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor should put an end to the phenomenon of trafficking in humans and bring to book visa traders, some of whom are highly placed individuals in the society,” Alam Al-Yium daily quoted Deputy Media Officer of the 11/11 Bloc Mohammad Al-Othman as saying.
Al-Othman wondered why these people bring marginal workers who are not in anyway useful to the country’s development. Stressing that such workers are just a money making source for their sponsors, he called for the cancellation of the sponsorship system which has lasted for the last 30 years. He urged the Minister of Public Works and State Minister for Municipal Affairs Dr Fadhel Safar, who also heads the Visa Trading Elimination Committee, to work on getting the sponsorship system cancelled and stop visa traders from violating human rights.
Meanwhile, Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Dr Mohammad Al-Afasi on Tuesday formed a consultative committee for labor affairs to look into the cases forwarded to the minister in accordance with the new labor law in the private sector, reports Al-Jarida daily quoting sources.
Sources disclosed the panel members include representatives from the ministry, its interior, commerce and industry counterparts, the Government Manpower Restructuring Program (GMRP), Kuwait Municipality, companies that have contracts with government institutions, organizations of employers, and Kuwait Trade Union Federation (KTUF). Sources said the panel has the authority to form sub-committees or teams to carry out the task but they have to submit a report on any case to the main committee.
Sources confirmed the minister also formed a permanent committee to liaise between the ministry and some authorities specialized in health and work safety to lay down a comprehensive plan to ensure the safety of workers in the oil sector. Sources stated the committee will forward its report to the ministry, which will in turn send copies to its health counterpart, Environment Public Authority (EPA), Public Authority for Industry (PAI), Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), and KTUF.
Sources affirmed the minister also issued a decision on the reactivation of the individual labor dispute committee to handle conflicts among laborers and labor-related complaints.
The minister also formed a team to inspect commercial and industrial establishments to ensure strict compliance with the new labor law and issue citations to anyone who violates the law, sources said.
Sources added Al-Afasi also issued a directive banning men from working in establishments that cater only to women.