PAM eyes many steps to protect rights of workers

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KUWAIT CITY, April 27: The Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) is currently preparing to take several steps aimed at protecting the rights of workers, especially those under government contracts, reports Al-Qabas daily quoting a reliable source from the authority.

According to the source, stricter regulations will be implemented to control the labor market, reduce marginal labor, and stop those profiting from visa trading through fake companies. The source added that PAM will issue a decision in the coming days to allow the transfer of workers under government contracts to another institution engaged in the same business once the original contract ends without the need to obtain approval from the current sponsor.

This will be done by transferring the workers to a contract under a new tender if they wish to do so, the source explained. The source pointed out that the owner of the first contract is required to present proof of his ownership of a government contract for the transfer of the worker in order to prove that the job was legitimate; otherwise, the worker will be transferred to another company which has a government contract.

Expatriate workers under government contracts must leave the country once the first contract ends if they are not transferred to another company with the same contract or if the current employer does not obtain a new contract where they can be transferred to, the source revealed.

The source added the companies proven to have violated the rights of workers will be punished by denying them access to new government tenders.

Below are the steps that the authority intends to take soon:

1. Imposing harsher penalties on companies that delay the payment of workers’ salaries.
2. New regulations to control marginal workers.
3. Providing protection for workers in coordination with the concerned authorities.
4. Eliminate residency visa trading and fake companies.

This news has been read 17798 times!