Kuwait to revise domestic labour rules to enhance worker protection
Project launched to offer comprehensive support for workers
Cairo: Kuwait is revising its rules for the recruitment of overseas domestic labour to introduce "necessary amendments" aimed at maximising protection for workers, a Kuwaiti manpower official has disclosed.
Deputy Head of the Kuwaiti Public Authority for Manpower (PAM), Fahd Al Murad, stated that the revision also seeks to provide optimal solutions to issues related to domestic labour. He spoke at a press conference marking the launch of a national project designed to safeguard workers' rights in the country.
Al Murad added that diplomatic missions in Kuwait can submit complaints related to their communities. "Upon receiving these complaints or remarks, PAM will promptly verify them and take necessary actions if an employer's breach of contractual obligations is confirmed," he said.
"The Authority is working diligently to revise its procedures to ensure workers' rights while providing them with easy access to file complaints and report any mistreatment or breaches of their work contracts," he continued.
The national project, named "Together For," was co-launched by PAM and the Kuwait Society for Human Rights this week. The initiative aims to offer legal, psychological, and social support to workers. The Kuwait Society for Human Rights has set a goal to assist at least 100,000 workers through this collaboration.
Recently, Kuwait faced a shortage of domestic workers, partly due to a ban on laborers from the Philippines. This issue has prompted calls to open new labor recruitment markets.
Last month, Kuwait lifted a visa ban on domestic workers from the Philippines that had been in place for over a year due to a labor dispute. The ban was lifted following an agreement reached during negotiations to resolve the conflict.
In May of the previous year, Kuwait had suspended the issuance of all visas for Filipino workers in response to what it described as Philippine authorities’ non-compliance with a prior labor agreement.