1600 labour law violators caught in Oman

Energy Tuesday 21/February/2017 12:48 PM
By: Times News Service
1600 labour law violators caught in Oman

Muscat: More than 1600 labour law violators were arrested in Dhofar Governorate in 2016 after a series of inspections during the year.
A team formed by the Ministry of Manpower in Dhofar Governorate, tasked with tackling labour law violators, held a series of inspection campaigns in the Sultanate’s Southern region which resulted in the apprehension of 1665 labor law violators.
Out of the total, 527 were found absconded from their employers while 1138 were either released from their employers, didn’t carry documents or had an expired residency card.
According to the Omani labor law, 829 were deported while the remaining were dealt with depending on the type of violation. Some were granted amnesty to mend their issues or for lack of evidence regarding the violation while others were referred to other authorities; some are also still under investigation.
During last year, the inspections focused on traveling merchants, random vendors who sell in public areas including illegal activities.
Ali Naji Al Yafai, head of the joint inspection team at the Department of Manpower in Salalah, said, “The team is considered a judicial security force who perform the tasks assigned to them.”
“There are two types of tasks, one is to go on scheduled field visits to establishments and make sure that the rules and regulations are followed as well as ensuring that the employees have valid labor cards, while the second is surprise raids that are commenced if we receive a complaint from the hotline,” he added.