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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Sultanate celebrates World Labour Day

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MUSCAT, May 1 - The World Labour Day was celebrated with words of respect for the working class across Oman on Tuesday, even as the General Federation of Oman Trade Union (GFOTU) organised campaigns to highlight its significance. In a statement, GFOTU and the trade unions collectively highlighted the challenges due to the economic situation and about its efforts to push for a better position for the workers. The unions that took part in the joint statement are the labour unions from the oil and gas, industrial, education sector, construction and tourism sectors.


The statement said the representatives of trade unions have been discussing the developments related to layoff of Omani workers in different sectors and the need to learn from the experience of the unions in the oil and gas sector which dealt with the challenges effectively over the last few years. The unions expressed that the authorities concerned should look for alternatives or intervene early to find effective solutions at a time when the worker’s social life has been affected due to decline in oil prices. The unions, in cooperation with GFOTU called for a system of insurance against joblessness, which was operated by the Public Authority for Social Insurance (PASI) for more than two years.


It called for an emergency committee to deal with the layoff of Omani workers in all sectors, similar to the oil sector. The unions also called for a national programme that will help find jobs opportunities for workers who were laid-off due to economic conditions. The labour unions called on the authorities to issue a new labour law at the earliest, which hopefully should take into account the views of the representatives of workers and the rest of the parties concerned.


In a publication released recently, GFOTU said that the number of trade unions in the Sultanate increased to 242 by the end of 2017. The unions also managed to achieve mutual settlements and an agreement with both sides in 627 cases. In the capital, Muscat Municipality took the lead as it honoured a large number of blue-collared workforce who brave unfavourable summer conditions to keep the city clean. A special function was held at Bausher Stadium in Muscat to honour the workforce, including some long-serving employees. “World Labour Day has its special importance these days because the employed class faces more uncertainty now than it was a decade ago, due to volatile nature of the global economy,” said Abdullah al Balushi, who retired as a lead HR manager from a public sector company a few years ago.


Vinod Nair


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