Worker in Oman awarded more than OMR27,000 for "illegal termination"

Read here: More workers in Oman airing complaints online
Muscat: An Omani worker whose job was terminated after his employer cited economic conditions has been awarded OMR27,598 for illegal termination.
“The worker had joined the company in September 2016. He was terminated citing economic conditions without following the Labour Law. He approached the ministry and we reached a settlement with the company to pay him OMR27,598 for the illegal termination,” Salim bin Said Al Badi, director general of labour welfare at the Ministry of Manpower, said.
The settlement was reached in the last week of November.
According to the official, in September, OMR38,000 was paid to workers - both Omanis and expatriates - as compensation on different labour dispute claims.
“For illegal termination claims, OMR16,800 was paid. In end of service benefits claims, OMR8,400 was paid and in other labour dispute cases OMR12,800 was paid,” the official added.
The official also said that OMR238,000 was paid as compensation in different kinds of labour disputes in 2015.
“The largest compensation amount paid to a worker in 2015 was OMR22,000,” the official added.
According to a trade union leader, due to economic conditions, labour disputes are increasing.
“Compared to previous years, we can see that the number of labour disputes are going up,” Mohammad Al Faraji, board member of GFOTU and head of the Committee on Rights and Obligations, said.
From September this year, the Ministry of Manpower has provided a platform to national and expatriate workers in Oman to file labour complaints online through the Ministry of Manpower’s (MoM’s) portal www.manpower.gov.om.
Oman is also considering setting up a dedicated labour court for workers.