Over 7000 expats arrested in Oman this year for violation of labour laws
Muscat: According to the Ministry of Labour, more than 7,000 expatriate workers were held this year for breach of labour laws.
Assistant Director General of Inspection at the Ministry of Labour. Nasser bin Salem Al Hadrami said that the government is working in all labour welfare departments in Oman to make the environment safe, stable and comfortable for all workers.
“From the beginning of January 2023, more than 7,000 expatriates were arrested in the joint inspection campaigns launched by the municipalities, the Ministry of Education, and the Royal Oman Police,” he said.
He also said, “The inspection team took into consideration working hours, employment of women and juveniles, everything related to the health and safety of workers, providing awareness to employers and workers.”
As per Article 9 of the Labour Law, the inspecting team has the right to examine any workplace without prior notification and employers are entitled to produce all required data to the team.
“If the work is obstructed by the employer or his representative, the employer shall be punished, according to Article 112 of the Labour Law, with a fine not exceeding OMR500 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding one month, or one of these two penalties,” he added.
The Ministry inspected over 12,045 places in 2022. In order to clear all the negative phenomena in the labour market, the government has intensified inspections. According to the government, over 17,000 workers were arrested in 2022, 27,954 people fled from the workplace and 66,469 labour complaints were received in 2022.
