KUWAIT CITY, March 9: Amendments to the Civil Services Law were approved by members of parliament on Wednesday granting the Kuwaiti women further employment rights after a second round of debates on the issue.

Furthermore, as a preliminary agreement, the parliament approved moving the General Department of Investigations from the Ministry of Interior to the Public Prosecution.

Speaker of Parliament, Jassem Al-Khorafi, inaugurated the session by refusing a re-vote on a request to discuss a report regarding the civil and social rights of stateless (Bedoun) residents.
He explained that Wednesday’s session is a continuation in order to debate on all matters already on the agenda first. Therefore, discussions on Bedoun rights are now expected to proceed during the parliamentary session of March 22.

Taking a stance on the matter, a group who call themselves ‘The Free Bedoun Youth’ are  said to have issued a statement calling for a long-standing Friday protest after prayers in the areas of Jahra, Taima, Sulaibiya and Ahmadi. They stated that they do not belong to any interior or foreign entity and only seek to acquire their civil and social rights.

Regarding women’s rights, 35 MPs out of a 53 member quorum passed the Civil Services amendments and it was referred to the government. The new amendments include the issuance of a social allowance to married Kuwaiti women employees if their husbands are unemployed or do not receive an allowance from the public treasury.

An allowance has also been granted to employed women with Kuwaiti children, non-Kuwaiti women with Kuwaiti children and Kuwaiti women with non-Kuwaiti children, provided she is divorced or the father of her children is deceased or cannot provide support for his family.

Muslim women, whose husbands have died, may also receive a four-month and 10-day leave that begins from the date of death. Non-Muslim women with the same circumstance may receive a 21-day leave.
Furthermore, a pregnant woman employee can now receive a 70-day leave with full pay, provided she gives birth during this period. Kuwaiti women can also receive a four-month maternal leave, two months with full salary and the two months with half salary. The working hours of nursing women may also be reduced to two hours per day.

Another amendment has also stipulated that both male and female employees can receive a leave with full pay to care for a close sick relative or accompany the relative abroad for treatment, provided they are fully responsible for the costs. The relative should be a spouse, a child or a parent of the employee.
Meanwhile, the session voted on the release of an official statement on behalf of the Parliament regarding the events that are occurring in Libya. The statement states that the Parliament praises the Libyan uprising and the Libyans’ pursuit of freedom.

Moreover, recommendations on combating Kuwaiti unemployment that were discussed on Tuesday were referred to the government. The quorum granted the government a two-month period to compile a report with solutions on the issue.

Meanwhile, the parliament approved moving the General Department of Investigations from the Ministry of Interior to be under the authority of the Public Prosecution (PP), during a preliminary vote on the law. Thirty-four MPs voted for the law which stipulates that the PP has the sole authority to investigate and prosecute criminal cases.

The new law also orders the cancellation of the investigation department in the Ministry of Interior and moving all its employees to work in equivalent positions within the PP, provided they remain in those positions without moving into judiciary positions. A number of MPs opposed transferring female investigators to the PP, citing constitutional and religious reasons that frown upon women holding judiciary positions.

In addition, a brief argument also ensued between the Minister of Interior, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Humoud and anti-government MP, Ahmed Al-Saadoun, who was speaking against the Interior Ministry.
An amendment gives the Kuwaiti woman civil servant an unpaid special vacation for a duration no less than six months and no longer than three years during the period of her service, provided that she has contributed with five years of service.

The amendment entitles the employees, men and women, to apply for a paid-vacation to accompany the wife (or the husband) if sent abroad on educational, scientific assignments, study scholarships, a long or short-term official mission, provided that the duration does not exceed six consecutive months. An employee, under test, cannot be given such a vacation unless he (or she) has worked for six months.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly, in its follow-up session on Wednesday, submitted recommendations on tackling unemployment to the government after approving the proposed solutions for the major problem. Following this constitutional step, the executives would refer a report in this respect to the legislative assembly, in two months, ahead of submission to the specialized parliamentary commissions.
Voting on these recommendations was not held as scheduled during the first session, on Tuesday, due to lack of quorom at Abdullah Al-Salem Hall.

They call for intersection and harmony between new mega development ventures (2010-2014) and the employment requirements, whereby proportions for the hiring of nationals by the private sector must be examined with the aim of toughening penalties against companies that hire non-Kuwaitis, in violation of the set labor proportions.

They call for replacing up to 60,000 non-Kuwaitis —   holding certificates and of skills available among nationals —   working in the public sector, with citizens, noting the rehabilitation and training programs run by the Civil Service Commission.

Moreover, the recommendations urge for early retirement of civil servants, particularly among the females and the mothers, to enable the parent devote sufficient attention to their families and create new work opportunities for the young.

Among the other problems that must be tackled with legislative and executive means is the illegal trade residencies that have tarnished the image of Kuwait abroad, aggravated the labor problems and caused further social difficulties. An efficient and aspiring program must be worked out to aid the nationals launch small enterprises and increase the work chances for the young nationals, instead of being restricted to the public sector.

Furthermore, the advises urge for executing the privatization programs, with restrictions on arbitrary lay-off of national workers and personnel, increasing attention to tourist and cultural activities and speeding up the pace of the process of transforming Kuwait into a financial and commercial hub.

In the meantime, the government must immediately reach an agreement with the Parliament on granting women certain employment privileges, says official spokesperson of the Development and Reform Bloc MP Faisal Al-Muslim.

Al-Muslim made the statement after the Parliament approved the employment privileges for women on Wednesday. He also announced his plan to obtain the support of a parliamentary majority in case the government returns the bill to the legislative authority. 

Affirming the bloc will continue supporting women, Al-Muslim asserted, “We will not stop fighting for the rights of women. We will also push for the approval of a draft bill on allowing women to retire early and the payment of salaries for housewives to allow them to focus on their family duties.” 

Al-Muslim stressed the Parliament’s approval of the bill on the employment rights of women on Wednesday was a step in the right direction to guarantee gender equality. He hopes for strong coordination between the Women and Financial Affairs panels to approve the proposal of the bloc.

Urging the government to approve the bill, Al-Muslim contended the disagreement between the legislative and executive authorities over the maternity leave should not be a hindrance to the passage of the bill.

On the other hand, Chairperson of the Women Affairs Committee Dr Maasouma Al-Mubarak congratulated the Kuwaiti women for the approval of their rights in Wednesday’s session.  She believes this will end the discrimination they have been suffering for decades.

After expressing her gratitude to those who made the approval of the bill possible, Al-Mubarak admitted there had been disagreements between the two authorities on the social and children allowances.  Some are of the view that the wife should be given social and children allowances if her husband is not entitled to it, while others called for granting the allowances to a Kuwaiti woman married to a foreigner with a salary less than
KD300 and the widows or divorced women.

Al-Mubarak revealed another point of contention was the maternity leave because the suggested granting two months with full salary and another two months with half salary, but the government strongly opposed it.  She appealed to the government to approve this clause to end the suffering of Kuwaiti women.