Seven firms booked in Oman for not paying wages

Muscat: The Ministry of Labor has referred seven corporations to the Public Prosecution Workplace for violating Article (51) of the Labor Legislation associated to their failure to pay wages on the legally specified date.

Article 51 of the Labour Legislation requires workers to be paid their wages on a working day and within the case of month-to-month paid workers, as soon as each month at the very least, or within the case of weekly or fortnightly paid workers, as soon as each week or fortnight.

The timing of cost for workers employed on piecework depends upon when the piecework is accomplished however usually, should be weekly for the worth of any work in progress already accomplished and the stability inside one week of ultimate completion.

In all circumstances, an employer could not delay cost for greater than seven days from the due date.

In the meantime, the Ministry of Labor took motion in opposition to 18 employees violating the provisions of the Labor Legislation, together with 9 employees who left the employer.

The Ministry of Labour has warned corporations that don’t adjust to the switch of workers’ salaries through the Wage Safety System (WPS).

The warning holds significance as a lot of non-public sector corporations proceed to defer cost of worker salaries by a number of months regardless of the general financial state of affairs within the nation getting higher over the previous yr.

In a press release, the Ministry of Labour stated that as per Article (53) of Chapter One, half 4 of the Omani Labour Legislation issued by Royal Decree No. (35/2003), “The employer won’t be cleared of the worker’s wage until the quantity is deposited within the worker’s account at one of many regionally accredited banks.

A decision by the Minister could decide the exceptions the place the worker’s wage is probably not deposited in his account.

Any violator will likely be punished based on Article (116) of the identical regulation. Whoever violates these provisions shall be punished with a fantastic not exceeding RO100 – and the fantastic shall be multiplied by the variety of employees who’re the topic of the violation, and no penalty shall be doubled in case of repetition of such breach.

The non-compliant corporations could face suspension of their dealings with the Ministry by way of finishing allow requests or lack of the membership of best-performing corporations in addition to different providers out there within the system.

Round 13,000 of the overall 24,000 labor complaints acquired by the ministry in 2022 had been associated to cost of wages, it was confirmed by the Ministry of Labour in a press release.

The Wages Safety System (WPS) is geared toward making certain truthful pay for employees and bettering working situations and enhancing the welfare of all events concerned.

WPS is an digital instrument created by the Ministry of Labour and the Central Financial institution to oversee and observe wage funds in non-public sector companies, guaranteeing their compliance with the Labour Legislation by transferring employees’ salaries to their financial institution accounts.

WPS maintains a gentle means of wage distribution, whereas additionally monitoring any delays in cost, permitting the Ministry to take preventive measures to make sure employees obtain their pay and forestall any labor disputes, strikes, or work stoppages attributable to delayed funds.