Oman will issue new labour law soon

Juma bin Ali Al Juma, Minister of Manpower, said that a new labour law would be issued shortly to meet the growing demands of the day.

He said the law has been prepared by his ministry in close cooperation with Majlis Al Shura, Oman's elected lower house of parliament, the State Council, the upper house, Oman Chamber of Commerce and Indu-stry and Businessmen Council in keeping with an incredible all-round progress made these past 31 years of renaissance.

Al Juma, who took over recently following the bifurcation of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in order to pay undivided attention to human resources development, was addressing a function to honour companies and establishments in the private sector which have excelled in Omanisation, a campaign to ensure maximum jobs for citizens and in the process reduce dependence on expatriates who form 26 per cent of the two million population, according to the 1993 census.

The next census is to take place next year for which preparations have already started.

The function was presided over by Malik bin Suleiman Al Maamari, Minister of Telecommunications and Transport and attended by Royal Family members, ministers, under-secretaries and senior officials of Royal Oman Police.

A film on Omanisation was screened as some veteran workers were presented with certificates for their meritorious services.

The Omanisation campaign reached its top gear late last year when His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, in his address to the joint house of parliament, urged the private sector to open its doors to jobless citizens with a message that "the nations are built by the hands of citizens only."

Al Juma said the National Manpower Employment Forum, created during the Omani monarch's meet-the-people tour following the royal address, has created a new sense of cooperation between the public and the private sector for the good of the nation.

The high-profile forum has come out with some concrete and tangible recommendations which are being implemented.

He said greater emphasis is being laid on on-the-job training of citizens, who are also being sent abroad in large numbers for training so that quality is not impaired when they replace expatriates.

Al Juma said, not only some more jobs are being exclusively set aside for citizens to enlarge the list, efforts are on to provide competent Omanis with senior positions.

He expressed satisfaction over the performance of the construction and the oil and gas sectors, known for the presence of large manpowers, hoping this cooperation would continue in the future to ensure a complete success of Omanisation.

A Majlis Shura official told Gulf News that the draft labour law was discussed by the 83-member house before passing it for enactment.

He called it a comprehensive legislation which explicitly protects the rights of employers and employees, in keeping with the Basic Law, Oman's first written constitution which lays increasing emphasis on human rights. The new law is also in conformity with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), of which Oman is an active member."

He said the Majlis has also passed a Press and Publication Law, meant to provide journalists with due freedom of expression, after thorough deliberations.

"The importance of mass media communication in this era of information technology can't be over-emphasised," he added.