Times of Oman - December 1, 2016

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THURSDAY December 1, 2016 1 Rabi Al Awal 1438 AH

FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN

To sheikhs and dignitaries of Dhofar at the conclusion of His Majesty’s Meet-thePeople Tour of the country, 1995

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’ The citizen serves himself first and by doing so, he serves his country. If he is an active, productive member of his society, he benefits himself and his society. And if he is unproductive and unemployed, he harms himself and his society. Moreover, he will become a burden on the community and will depend on others

Founded 1975 . Volume 41 No. 234 | 36 Pages . Baisas 200 . Subscription OMR63 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company | Chairman/Editor-in-Chief: Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali | Printed & Published by Muscat Media Group

THUMBS UP FOR NOC COMPROMISE

ROMANIA

HM sends greetings

Suggestions were made at Tanfeedh exhibition to retain the NOC system

MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of congratulations to President Klaus Iohannis of Romania on the occasion of his country’s National Day. In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere congratulations along with his best wishes of good health and happiness to President Iohannis and the people of Romania further progress and prosperity. -ONA

but with advice to make it fairer to workers

‘Give NOC after end of contract’ Times News Service “This is logic(al), if an employee completes his contract with the company, he should be free from No Objection Certificate (NOC), and if the employee’s let go by a company, he would also not require a NOC.... Hope for the best.”

ROP

6m pills seized, 10 arrested Times News Service

Praveen Raj

MUSCAT: At least 10 men are being been held by the Royal Oman Police for allegedly attempting to smuggle six million psychotropic tablets into Oman. The ROP found the drugs stored inside pipes used in the construction industry. Captagon tablets, containing a psychotropic substance, were found inside the pipes. >A6

MORNING MINUTE

a series of ‘labs’ where experts from the public and private sectors brainstormed for six weeks to come up with solutions for the Sultanate’s economy. The programme came up with 121 proposals and the labour lab, headed by Shahswar Al Balushi, proposed changes to the NOC.

REJIMON K

reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: A call for a fairer deal on the No Objection Certificate (NOC) rule has been given a resounding thumbs-up by bosses, workers, government bodies and Times of Oman readers. Labour lab members at the Tanfeedh national programme have managed to please both employers and employees in Oman with their suggestions to retain the NOC but to make it fairer to workers. One happy reader said: “It’s a win-win!” Tanfeedh, the government think tank charting the economic future of Oman, held

Two-year visa In 2014, Omani authorities implemented a two-year visa change ban for expatriates which means they require a NOC from current employers should they wish to join another company in Oman. Without the NOC, they have to leave the country and cannot re-

DECEMBER LIST

Fuel price dip brings cheers REJIMON K

reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: A dip of four to six per cent in fuel prices announced for December has been received by the public with cheers. In December, M91 fuel will cost 165 baisas a litre. In November it was 173 baisas a litre. The dip is around 4.8 per cent. Meanwhile, the price of Super Grade is 176 and in November it was 183 baisas. The Super Grade’s new price is around 4 per cent lower. The new price of diesel is 177. It was 187 baisas in November, which is 5.6 per cent higher than the new price. >A6

2016 FUEL PRICES Baisas per litre

Before January

J

F

M

M

J

J

163

160 160 153

166

150 146 140

140 146 145

O

185 179

176

170

170 166

158

S

N

D

187

178 180

170

A 188

185

161

169 161

183 173

177 176 165

156 149

145

137

130

130 120 114

120

Source: Times of Oman

Graphics

AWA R D -W I N N I N G A C T O R

TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

OMAN

Banks report most suspicious transactions

1

Within the last two years, more than 500 suspicious transaction reports (STRs) were received by the National Centre of Financial Information (NCFI). >A5

WORLD

A

180

160

M95 M91

Super Regular (M90) Diesel

Oman’s beauty fascinates Irish actor

MARKET

Trump to leave empire Oil jumps 8 per cent

2

Donald trump vowed to step back from running his business empire . >A12

3

Oil prices jumped more than 8 per cent on Wednesday. >B1 REJIMON K

reji@timesofoman.com

Campaign winners receive prizes

A7

MUSCAT: “I am astonished to see the diverse beauty of Oman. We need such places as locations for films,” said Liam Cunningham, the Irish award-winning actor and Game of Thrones star, after jetting into Oman yesterday. Cunningham, who is in Oman for location scouting, noted, “My plan is to get international film makers to come here. I have seen it with my own eyes. Being here has enabled me to get a real feel of what Oman has to offer the international film-making community, which is looking for new locations and production partners. Now is the time for Oman to be involved. Fortune favours the brave.” >A6

turn for a period of two years. According to government officials, the rule was implemented to stop expatriates switching jobs and joining competing firms. Al Balushi said the labour lab had drawn up proposals that the NOC regulation should remain in place but be fairer to both employer and employee. Where an employee has completed a contract, he or she should be free to move. Only in cases where an employee is breaching a contract or leaving one job for another should the NOC be required, Al Balushi proposed, adding that the Royal Oman Police would have to assess proposals. >A8

“If the employee finishes the contract let him/her go freely. If the company is good, giving nice salaries and benefits, they would stay, so companies should think also.” Rashid bin Ismayil

“In my opinion, it is a win-win situation, as the employer has to spend a lot on bringing the employee and it’s the primary obligation of the employee to complete the initial contract set by the employer. By this move no one will be at loss.”

Nerak Vence Zehcans


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