publish time

02/07/2020

author name Arab Times

publish time

02/07/2020

KUWAIT CITY, July 2: The Emergency and Crisis Management Team formed at the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) carried out 15 evacuation campaigns for workers of the private sector who expressed the desire to leave the country since the beginning of the COVID- 19 crisis.

The daily had previously published a report about the suffering of the workers because of the lack of commitment to pay their financial dues for more than four months.

A member of the team Bashayer Al- Mutairi explained that PAM recently delivered the financial dues for the workers of a government contract which stalled the payment of salaries. It also paid the salaries of the workers of a food company in the private sector.

The team also closed the files of 2,000 companies that violated contracts either due to expiration or non-compliance to payment of salaries. She said, “In case complaints are received from the labor force about their rights, coordination is made with the employers, and the affected workers would be brought in to receive their rights, which could be related to financial or passport matters or procedures for final cancellation of their residency”.

Al-Mutairi revealed that the hotline number launched by the PAM’s Labor Relations Department to receive complaints from workers has so far received more than 2,000 complaints, as well as 1,800 requests from business owners, adding that these complaints and requests have been dealt with.

Meanwhile, Supervisor of the Labor Relations Department in PAM and Deputy Head of the Emergency and Crisis Management Team Ali Dilmani said, “Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the authority has taken all necessary measures, based on the law of its establishment and decisions of the Cabinet and health authorities, to evacuate expatriate workers and inmates in shelters affiliated with the commission. It also followed up the complaints related to non-payment of salaries and financial dues.”

Regarding salaries, Al-Dilmani affirmed that PAM has been following up, via the Emergency and Crisis Management Team, the complaints, and the officials of the relevant companies are called to take necessary legal measures against them. He stressed that, “The files of the companies that violate labor laws are closed, and legal blocks are placed on them based on the case. They are not opened until the conditions and observations are met.” On Wednesday, July 1, the daily witnessed the payment of salaries to the workers of a troubled contracting company that has a government contract, and to those of a restaurant operating in the private sector which did not pay salaries to them.