Friday, March 29, 2024 | Ramadan 18, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

A safety net for Omanis laid off by private firms

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Every now and then, the issue of Omani employees laid off by some local firms, pops up on social media. The posts highlight the humanitarian, social and financial burdens they the retrenched workers have to shoulder as a result. Just like all of us, they have monthly social and financial obligations, such as expenses towards housing, services, loans, education, health, and so forth.


Perhaps, it never crossed the minds of these young citizens that one day they would be laid off from their jobs and face this kind of dilemma in their careers.


Therefore, the Council of Ministers has formed a committee to delve into the question of retrenched Omani employees in private sector institutions and develop appropriate solutions for this trend.


In addition, many meetings have been held country-wide at different levels between the companies concerned, Shura Council, Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Manpower, National Employment Centre and the Public Authority for Social Insurance.


These meetings reached a host of proposals and recommendations, including the need for the Ministry of Manpower and relevant institutions to continue taking measures to provide new job opportunities for laid-off employees in other companies, keeping track of the negative impacts of this phenomenon on work and investment in the Sultanate and holding talks with the companies that terminated the services of these young employees to understand the justification behind such decision on one hand and reintegrate them in the same companies as much as possible on the other hand, while continuing efforts to find and provide new job opportunities for them in coordination other stakeholders.


Moreover, some institutions and companies that were not committed to applying the Labour Law and the ministerial decisions issued in this regard were referred to the Public Prosecutor for immediate legal action, concurrently seeking settlement of these issues through reconciliation committees to mitigate the social and financial impacts of being laid off.


Solutions proposed by officials of the Public Authority for Social Insurance include setting up an “unemployment insurance fund”, to bring some relief to many laid-off employees’ financial problems and help them and their families get through this rough patch.


Furthermore, these meetings came out with many other proposals, including giving priority to projects managed by Omani companies and nationals, and not those operating in secret or through hidden trade, along with the need to direct public and private institutions to finance training and qualification programmes for Omani cadres in disciplines required by these institutions as part of their corporate social responsibility.


The meetings also discussed the issue of delayed government payments to companies that decided to lay off a large number of expatriate and national workers to meet the costs in their daily operations.


This is in addition to the need to reconsider and develop the current Omanization policies in line with the upcoming developments, especially next year with the launch of the future Oman Vision 2040, amend laws, especially the Labour Law, which can achieve balance, equality and justice between the various parties involved in the process of employment, work and workers.


The issue of national labour layoffs has prompted some government institutions to take action, even temporarily, including the statement issued by the Central Bank of Oman instructing local banks and FLCs to put in place clear mechanisms to identify these cases and apply direct communication and follow-up with them as well as develop appropriate solutions to remedy their situation.


This is in addition to granting them a grace period up to 12 months from the date of last payment and rescheduling their loans when they get another job.


Everyone stands today in support of the laid-off employees and fully understands their daily financial struggles.


They need enough time and plenty of help to pay off their financial obligations towards commercial and Islamic banks and FLCs and take this burden off their shoulders.


They also need to be reemployed in new companies and jobs to live in dignity, especially since some of them hold college degrees.


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