KUWAIT CITY, Jan 15: More than 20,000 cleaning workers at the Ministry of Health and Municipality Affairs are expecting activation of the KD 60 unified minimum wage, which the Social Affairs and Labor Ministry mandated the concerned companies to pay, reports Al-Seyassah daily.

The daily quoted a source as saying the Health Ministry has the highest cleaning workers numbering about 16,000, and they work at nine various locations in six different companies, based on the six regional classification of the ministry. The remaining 4,000 cleaners work with the Ministry of Municipality Affairs and most of them clean the public areas across the country, the source explained. 

According to the Director of Services in Ministry of Heath Abdul-Razzaq Al-Kandari, decision by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor to unify the minimum wage was the outcome of series of meetings with concerned ministries, and noted the decision became imperative after the disparity in wages of the cleaners was recognized.

He stated the Health Ministry has yet to receive an official decision on the announcement by the Assistant Undersecretary for Labor Affairs in Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor Mansour Al-Mansour. He refuted claim that the Council of Ministers will be responsible for the payment of differences in the wages, and that it has become the responsibility of the concerned ministries, the Finance Ministry and the companies.