Certain companies with 200 or more workers must submit quarterly salary audit reports to the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, according to a circular issued yesterday.

Under the circular, signed by Dr Khalid Al Khazraji, Undersecretary of the ministry, construction, general maintenance, transport and garment manufacturing companies must submit quarterly reports proving that they pay salaries of their workers regularly, or face suspension of their dealings with the ministry.

"Work permit committees must ensure that these companies have submitted the report. If a company fails to submit a salary audit report, its application for work permits will be turned down," according to article 8 of the circular.

Companies with a record of non-payment of salaries are also demanded to submit these salary reports, said the circular.

"This will be based on a recommendation from Director of the Labour Inspection Department, Labour Relations Department Director or directors of labour offices.

"The recommendation must include justifications for demanding that these repeated offenders submit salary audit reports."

Matar Humaid Al Tayer, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, recently issued a decision ordering private companies to submit audit reports showing regular payment of salaries or face being blacklisted and have dealings with the ministry suspended.

The ministry will next week start demanding these companies submit audit reports proving the payment of worker salaries, said Dr Al Khazraji.

The move is meant to check problems in the labour market, spare the country embarrassment and eliminate security problems.

The decision states that workers engaged on yearly or monthly remuneration shall be paid at least once a month, while all other workers shall be paid at least once every two weeks.

The decision also authorises labour departments to demand that certain companies submit regular reports showing whereabouts of their sponsored workers, whether they are working in projects carried out by them or in other projects executed by third parties.

According to the circular, the ministry's Establishments Unit will be tasked with implementing the ministerial decision.

The unit will act on its own or on a recommendation from another ministry's competent department or other departments outside the ministry.

It will prepare a list of the companies required to submit quarterly salary audit reports and send them requests for submitting these reports within two weeks from the date of the request.

The audit report must include the company's name and file number at the ministry, number of workers according to the ministry's files and in accordance with the payroll, the number of workers who received salaries in full, those who did not receive salaries and the percentage of workers fully paid to the total number of workers.

The unit must ensure that the report is prepared by a certified auditor and on his or her official paper. It will not receive this report unless a copy of it has been prepared on a ministry form made for this purpose and this copy is submitted by the company.

On receiving the report and ensuring a copy of it has been submitted to the ministry, its details will be entered in the computer.

After 30 days, the computer will suspend the company's file and demand that another report be submitted.

The ministry is entitled to demand any further documents or detail it deems necessary for protecting the workers' salaries.

It is also authorised to ask the auditor to submit any further clarifications.

If the ministry finds any manipulation or false information in the audit report, it will inform the licensing department, the Ministry of Economy and Commerce to take legal and administrative action against the auditor involved in the offence.