KUWAIT CITY, Feb 18: A Kuwaiti lawyer on Wednesday extolled the draft of the new labor law and termed it: “employee-friendly.” Speaking to the Arab Times, Labeed Abdal went on to add that the new law has included provisions for labor unions, extra paid vacations and allowances following pregnancy, minimum wage etc. It may be recalled that the Health, Social and Labor Affairs Committee in the Parliament is currently studying 25 amendments to the new Labor Law which is expected to be forwarded to the National Assembly before March 3. The committee is also expected to expedite procedures to finalize the law in time for the parliamentary session which is slated for the second reading of the law.
Replying to a question whether he was expecting the proposed law to be passed anytime soon, he expressed hope that the government would adopt the law as soon as possible, even as he said that the recommendations put forward by the International Labor Organization should also be taken into consideration. He said the International Labour Organization has impressed upon the need to have labor unions for foreign workers, cancellation of the sponsors system, besides providing protection for working women.
Exploitation
Replying to another question whether the new law will be able to put an end to the exploitation of workers at the hands of unscrupulous employers, Abdal went on to say that the matter in question can be resolved by forming labour unions and that the embassies should also play an active role in defending the rights of the workers. Furthermore, the embassies should also coordinate with the concerned government agencies to ensure that any harassment or maltreatment cases involving their nationals should be dealt with swiftly, he added. He also added that there is also need to prosecute recruitment agencies which dupe the workers, even as these companies hire workers and fail to provide them proper jobs, thereby leaving them high and dry.Abdal expressed hope that the proposed law will be able to tide over the problems faced by menial workers and that the image of Kuwait will receive a boost on the international front.
The proposed law stipulates the following:
1) It makes the worker recruitment process transparent.
2) Prevents women from working in the night.
3) Employees cannot work more than 48 hours on a weekly basis.
4) Employers should provide proper accommodation for their employees.
He added that the draft law has come under flak because it made new restrictions on women working at night, as the new law prevents women from working from 8 pm until 7 am, even as hospitals are an exception.
Restricts
Abdal noted that he has an issue with only one clause of the draft law “that restricts the working hours of women.” Taking the point further, he said: “Banning women from working in the night is totally an unfair decision as I feel that they are being denied their rights. If the law is passed, then many women will lose jobs and this is something they can ill-afford to do in these recessionary times,” he added. “Traditionally, the restriction was related to some restaurants and cafes in some of the areas in Kuwait because the owners of those places depended on some women workers in late hours to attract customers. There were a few incidents of abuse and harassment against women and these issues were reported by the media.” “I, for one, believe that there is no need to prevent women from working at night, as there are many professions that entail late working in professions such as doctors, lawyers, journalists etc. “
By Francis A. Clifford Cardozo
Arab Times Staff
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/client/pagesdetails.asp?nid=28812&ccid=9
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