11/07/2017
11/07/2017
Tabtabaei submits bill on academic equivalency KUWAIT CITY, July 10: The amended Private Sector Labor Law took effect after its publication in the official gazette on July 9, says MP Hamoud Al-Khodairi who proposed the amendment which was approved by the National Assembly in the last legislative round. He explained the revised Law Number 85/2017 stipulates granting Kuwaiti employees in the private sector full end-of-service pay upon ending their service without deducting the employers’ contributions to the Public Institution for Social Security. He said the article on annual leave days was also amended to become 30 days without deducting the weekend and public holidays. He hopes the revised law will greatly contribute to ongoing efforts to grant more incentives to private sector employees in order to encourage citizens to work in private companies as a way of addressing the unemployment problem of Kuwaitis especially the youths. He called on the concerned authorities to monitor the implementation of the law to guarantee strict compliance. On the other hand, MP Faisal Al-Kandari has asked Oil Minister Essam Al-Marzouk to implement the amended Private Sector Labor Law, particularly the stipulation on indemnity. He stressed the need to apply this stipulation retroactively for oil companies covered by the law as it is in the best interest of the workers and the companies, taking into consideration the employees who won lawsuits in this regard. He asserted the previous court verdicts protected the rights of workers, especially since it has been proven that Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) took decisions without studying the situation or without knowing the issues concerning sector workers. He added the administrative correspondence requesting clarification on the implementation of the decision must be dealt with responsibly and the rights of workers should not be affected. He also stressed the need to reimburse the amount deducted from the end-of-service pay of workers who retired before the enforcement of the revised law. Meanwhile, MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei has submitted a bill on academic equivalency, stipulating that accreditation of tertiary academic qualifications must be issued by universities or institutes recognized by the Ministry of Higher Education while the secondary certificate should be equivalent to Kuwaiti high school. According to the bill, the Ministry of Higher Education shall issue decisions which are necessary for the implementation of this law and any contradicting provision shall be repealed. In the explanatory note of the bill, the lawmaker pointed out that the Civil Service Commission (CSC) requires citizens to present certificates obtained from universities accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education, but it does not apply to non-Kuwaitis; hence, the possibility of forging academic certificates. In order to prevent this manipulation, the bill stipulates that both Kuwaitis and non-Kuwaitis are required to have their tertiary and secondary certificates accredited by the ministry, he added. By Abubakar A. Ibrahim Arab Times Staff