Expats working in the private sector who expressed the desire to leave the country were repatriated under 15 campaigns spearheaded by the Emergency and Crisis Management Team formed under the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM), reports Al Qabas daily.
The daily had earlier published a news report that highlighted the suffering of the workers because of the lack of commitment to pay their financial dues for more than four months. PAM worked to deliver the financial dues for the workers of a government contract which stalled their salary payments. They also ensured the payment of salaries to the workers of a food company in the private sector. The files of 2,000 companies were closed for violating contracts either due to expiry past the date or failure to fulfill salary payments.
Team member Bashayer Al-Mutairi told Al-Qabas, “In cases where we receive complaints from the labor force regarding abuse of their rights, we coordinate with their employers to make sure the affected workers receive their dues, which could be related to financial or passport matters or procedures for final cancellation of their residency visa”. Al-Mutairi revealed that the hotline number launched by the PAM’s Labor Relations Department to receive complaints from workers has so far received more than 2,000 complaints, as well as 1,800 requests from business owners, adding that these complaints and requests have been dealt with.
Meanwhile, Supervisor of the Labor Relations Department in PAM and Deputy Head of the Emergency and Crisis Management Team Ali Dilmani said, “Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the authority has taken all necessary measures, based on the law and decisions of the Cabinet and health authorities, to evacuate expatriate workers and inmates in shelters affiliated with the commission. It also followed up the complaints related to non-payment of salaries and financial dues.”
Regarding salaries, Al-Dilmani affirmed that PAM has been following up, via the Emergency and Crisis Management Team, the complaints, and the officials of the relevant companies are called for the necessary legal measures to be taken against them. He stressed that, “The files of the companies that violate labor laws are closed, and legal blocks are placed on them based on the case. They are not opened until the conditions are met.”
On Wednesday, July 1, the daily witnessed the payment of salaries to the workers of a troubled contracting company that has a government contract, and to those of a restaurant in the private sector which did not pay salaries to their workforce.