Decision by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to pay the end of service indemnity to expatriates working in the government sector only if they leave the country is causing confusion, with reports indicating that the matter has now been raised in the Constitutional Court to rule on its constitutionality. The CSC has stated that expatriates working in government sector cannot avail of their end of service benefits if they do not leave the country, and instead continue to work in another government entity or join the private sector.
Meanwhile, a circular has been issued by the Public Authority of Manpower (PAM) detailing new procedures for workers seeking transfer to a different sector of employment and other issues. The circular states that workers have to present themselves in person in front of the Labor Relations Department official to vouchsafe that they received all their financial dues from the employer and express their desire to leave the country. They must also be present in person and request a transfer from one sector to another.
Revealing the new procedures, the official spokesperson and Director of the Public Relations and Media Department at PAM, Aseel Al-Mazyed, said the competent labor department runs a check on the documents to ensure the contents of the circular are honored.
In another development PAM has also announced that with immediate effect it will receive visitors to its offices only through prior appointments made through the official online ‘Meta’ platform, developed by the Central Agency for Information Technology.
The new arrangement, which follows a decision to this effect by the Council of Ministers, also stresses the need for everyone visiting PAM to be in full adherence to all health and precautionary measures, including wearing a face mask and maintaining social distance between visitors.
