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ILO commends labour laws in Oman MUSCAT — Participants at the Sultanate's Labour Confederation (SLC) institutional conference, held here yesterday, vowed to co-operate with international organisations concerned to help develop the performance of the SLC in serving the labour community in the Sultanate. They also affirmed the importance of setting up sectoral committees to consider developing institutional systems to ensure the enforcement of the human rights system in the Sultanate. Towards this end, the participants recommended enhancing syndicate freedoms in a manner that would guarantee independence and mutual respect among all production parties. The SLC includes 48 labour unions out of a total of 70 labour unions operating in the Sultanate. Representatives of the International Labour Organisation hailed the conference which they termed as a foundation step for the Sultanate’s Labour Confederation.  The ILO’s commendation was echoed by the Arab Labour Organisation, the International Labour Union and the Arab Labour Union. They said that the step lays solid foundations for the workers and they expressed their willingness to lend assistance if needed by the burgeoning general confederation of the Omani labour unions. The conference was opened by Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, Minister of Commerce and Industry. The opening ceremony meeting was attended by ministers, representatives of labour unions in the Sultanate and international, Arab, and regional organisations. The participants described the conference as a success and said that meeting opens up promising horizons for the labour movement in the Sultanate. During the conference, the SLC’s board was elected. Saud bin Ali al Jabri was elected as the Chairman of the Board, Nabhan bin Ahmed al Battashi as Deputy Chairman, Waleed bin Said al Kharousi as Secretary, Ayda bint Shammas al Hashimiyah as Treasurer and Tayiba bint Sulaiman al Hasniyah, Assistant Treasurer. Members of the financial auditing committee were also elected under the supervision of observers from international organisations and local observers. In a speech on the occasion, Manpower Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Nasser al Bakri, in a statement to reporters, said that approving the Basic Statute of the Omani Labour Confederation and the election of an administrative body representing the labour unions is capable of drawing international recognition. The conference comes in complementation of previous steps made by the Sultanate to ensure free election of administration in the labour sector, making provisions for the labour unions to represent the workers in regional and international arenas, look after the workers’ rights and follow up labour market law developments, said Al Bakri. He added that the move also reaffirms the recognition of the three parties concerned — the government, the private sector and workers. Al Bakri added, “The idea is to raise awareness and promote ‘the culture of work’ in the private sector, in addition to establishing a body to look after the rights of workers and develop better understanding of the concept of partnership in the Omani society, the democracy lived by the Sultanate, the rights of workers to elect a council and a body that represent them for three years.” Sayyid Hamad bin Hilal al Busaidy, Under-Secretary of the Manpower Ministry for Labour Affairs, said in a speech that a committee for social dialogue will be set up following the election of the Sultanate’s Labour Confederation. It will include representatives of the Manpower Ministry, the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the SLC to improve communication, consultation and the sharing of information. The aim is to establish warm ties among the parties concerned, enhance the development of national manpower, productivity and competitiveness, besides the stability of the labour market. Khalil bin Abudllah al Khonji, Chairman of Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), said that the forthcoming stage calls for maximising effort by all parties to develop an efficient partnership. He urged business establishments to pay more attention to relations between the establishments and employees. Saud bin Ali al Jabri, Chairman of the Institutional Committee of the Sultanate’s Labour Confederation, said among the SLC’s top priorities is the spreading of public awareness about the SLC’s activities, expand membership in labour unions and consolidate the women’s role. — ONA