Agreement reached after workers strike in Oman

Muscat: Hundreds of workers at a company who downed tools on Sunday will be back to work on Monday as a settlement talks were held between company representatives, Ministry of Manpower officials and trade unionists. “The workers went on strike alleging discrepancies in sick leave allotment and error in calculation of attendance,” Mohammed Al Farji, a trade union leader from General Federation of Oman Trade Union, who mediated the settlement talks, told Times of Oman.
The workers claimed that the company’s senior official was granting only 10 days sick leave per year while the Omani Labour Law guarantees 14 days.
“As the talks failed, they went on strike. However, we have formed a panel, consisting of government officials, workers’ representatives and company officials, and to look into the issue and reach and amicable solution,” the trade union leader added.
According to the trade union leader, some of the employees were also denied attendance due to some technical problems with the biometric system.
“There are problems with some of the workers’ 2015 attendance. We have formed a separate panel with IT experts to probe it,” the trade union leader added.
Attempts to get a comment from the company went in vain.