(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) The Ministry of Manpower, through an amendment to Article 20 of Ministerial Decision 294/ 2006, has banned strikes or strike calls at facilities providing essential services, including oil refineries, ports and airports.
The text that replaces the earlier Article 20 states, 'It is prohibited to strike work or call for it in facilities providing public or essential services to public or in petroleum facilities, petroleum refineries, ports and airports.'
The new decision issued by H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser al Bakri, Minister of Manpower, states that a committee should be formed to look into demands of workers at these establishments. ''In case of labour demands at the facilities mentioned in Article 20 of the decision, a committee will be formed by a decision of the minister, headed by a ministry's representative and membership of representatives of OCCI, General Union of Workers and representatives of the parties of the collective labour conflict, and shall seek assistance of whomever sees fit to study the workers' demands and reach an agreement about it,'' it says.
If an agreement is reached, it will have to be in print and signed by all parties. A copy of it will have to be submitted to MoM.
''In case the committee does not reach an agreement within three weeks, it shall refer the case to the competent court and in all cases, the workers shall directly resume their duties during the period of settling their labour demands,'' the decision further stated.
According to Article 21 of the decision, the committed days of strike which are in conflict with provisions of Article 20 will be considered days of absence without any excuse, allowing the employer to take legal measures against the striking workers.<
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