Muscat: At least 881 Omani workers have been laid off by contracting companies in Oman in less than two months citing the slump in oil prices.
Engineers and technicians are among those who have lost jobs, according to Al Balad News Site.
Saud Al Salmi, the president of the oil and gas sector labour union, said that the General Federation of Oman Trade Union has called on the companies concerned to provide alternative job options for the dismissed workers.
The union also demanded compensation for the sacked workers or arranging for transfers to other companies.
The union is to hold an urgent meeting next week to discuss the issue of job losses involving national manpower at contracting companies in oil concession areas.
Al Salmi pointed out that major national companies in the oil industry had extended contracts with companies that had cut jobs even though their services were no longer needed just to protect jobs of Omani workers employed there.
Al Salmi stressed that the union was forced to call for an urgent meeting of all trade union groups operating in the sector to consider possible courses of action and preemptive measures amid the growing threat to jobs of nationals.
An official at one of the construction companies linked to the oil sector that laid off staff told Gulf New that the main Omani oil companies had cancelled contracts and this had forced the company to cut jobs. “We couldn’t afford to pay more than 120 workers as some contracts were cancelled recently,” said the official.
Jamal Al Hosni, one of the workers who lost their jobs, told Gulf News that he was facing a difficult financial situation and even faced the possibility of jail if he failed to pay for a loan, which he had taken when he got married last year.
“I have a family and a son on the way and I failed to pay my loan as I was dismissed three months ago,” he said.
Al Hosni added that there are many others facing a similar situation after losing their jobs.
