Friday 03 / May / 2024
Muscat: Employers who provide substandard living quarters for workers are being targeted by Oman’s trade union federation.
“Improving the living condition of workers is the obligation of the employer,” a spokesman for the General Federation of Oman Trade Unions said.
“An employer has the option of providing housing to workers or he/she may give the worker a certain allowance for housing,” said Yousuf Al Busaidi, the acting department head of legal and trade union affairs at the General Federation of Oman Trade Unions.
“In certain companies, the employer is forced to provide housing allowance, in addition to providing accommodation; this depends on the nature of the work and the location.” When employers provide housing, they must abide by the standards and specifications listed in the Occupational Safety Regulations governed by the Labour Code in Ministerial Decision 286/2008.
Standards
“These standards regulate bathroom conditions, workers’ sleeping areas, areas designated for serving food, ventilation systems, and a space for changing clothes,” said Al Busaidi.
The General Federation of Oman Trade Unions receives more than 400 complaints annually, some of which are related to housing in the private sector.
“Our role is to inform the competent department at the Ministry of Manpower about any violations. The ministry will then visit the company; if it is revealed that the company has not complied with the regulations, the company is directed to rectify the violation. During our annual visits to private sector establishments, we have seen violations with regard to workers’ accommodations. In such cases, we reach out to the companies and clarify the matter. If the company does not rectify the violations, we inform the ministry,” added Al Busaidi.
If a violation exists, the union has the option of meeting the administration and showing them proof of the violation. The trade union also has the ability to file a complaint with the federation, or speak to the Ministry of Manpower directly.
Regarding housing violation cases that occurred this year, Al Busaidi said: “There was a company that provided accommodation to its workers, however, the workers could not accept the housing conditions, so the trade union then took their demands to the federation calling for better living conditions.”
“We [the GFOTU] worked on this case with the ministry, and negotiations were held between the trade union, the management of the company, and the ministry. As a result, the company improved the housing conditions,” added Al Busaidi.
“Unpaid salaries are the most common complaint received by the federation; however, we still receive complaints from workers regarding housing. Two months ago, expat workers in a company went on strike, and one of the reasons was poor living conditions. We were directly involved in taking their concerns to the competent authority in order for them to inspect the accommodation and order the management to improve the living conditions,” Al Busaidi said.
What is important to note is that even if a company agrees to improve the accommodation, it takes time and is expensive. Therefore, some companies are given time to make the changes.
“Improving the living condition of workers is the obligation of the employer regardless of whether it is expensive or not,” the acting department head of legal and trade union affairs said.
Workers’ voices
Muhammad and Hani are workers who recounted their suffering to the federation with regard to their accommodation.
“We live in a narrow room with a length of 5 metres and a width of 4 metres, where we sleep, sit and eat. There are four or five people in a room with no windows at all, and we share toilets. The walls of the rooms are stained with dust, the electrical connection is exposed and covered with a panel of wood, and there is no fire extinguisher,” said Muhammed. “When we asked the company to provide decent accommodation, they deducted our wages, which are already low,” he said.
Hani described his accommodation as small, where “his bed is in his kitchen, next to where he washes his clothes. The room is almost without ventilation, and full of insects”.
Muhammad and Hani are among hundreds of workers who suffer with regard to living conditions, according to the federation, and having a trade union in the company that represents the rights of all the workers is the best way to improve their situation.
“Housing conditions for workers are more likely to improve if there is a trade union in the company because the role of the trade union will be to monitor the extent to which the company is complying with the regulations listed in the labour law,” Al Busaidi said.
