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WEDNESDAY, September 16, 2015 / 2 Dhul Hijja 1436 AH timesofoman.com
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Bosses gloomy over payrise prospects
A G A I N S T T H E L AW
Lower oil price calls for restructuring and diversification ACCIDENT SITE: In the accident in Yiti which had claimed the
lives of four migrant workers, three were undocumented, according to embassy officials. –Supplied photo
of private sector as
Firms hiring illegals should be punished
delaying payments
REJIMON K
reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Hiring undocumented workers eyeing cheap labour is totally illegal and stringent actions should be taken against those companies that do so, said trade union leaders, commerce industry official and social workers. “Hiring illegal workers is against law. We don’t encourage it,” Redha Juma Mohammed Ali Al Saleh, the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI’s) vice-chairman for administration and financial affairs, told the Times of Oman. “Especially, when amnesty programme is on, workers and companies should come forward to correct their job status and work permits. They should rectify their status and become a legal worker,” the OCCI official added. In an accident in Yiti which claimed the lives of four migrant workers, three were undocumented, according to the work-
ers’ embassy official. The workers belonged to a third party sub-contracting company. According to Omani Labour Law Article (18 Bis), any employer shall not employ any worker authorised to work for another employer or residing in the Sultanate illegally. Civil Law According to Civil Law, the main contractor may also be responsible for accident or death of a worker even if he belongs to a sub-contractor. Violators of this law shall be punished by being imprisoned for a period of not more than one month and paying a fine of not less than OMR1,000 and not more than OMR2,000 or shall be subject to one of these two penalties. If the perpetrator is not an Omani employee, he shall be expelled from the Sultanate of Oman on the expense of the employer and shall be banned from entering the country. >A6
market slowdown is
RAHUL DAS
rahuldas@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Are you banking on a payrise in 2016? One new survey has suggested you might be in luck, predicting employees may pocket a five per cent hike next year. But don’t start counting your rials yet, as many company officials here in the Sultanate have poured cold water on the predictions of a new GGC-wide study, saying unless there is a dramatic improvement in the economy this year, you’d be better off delaying spending sprees. “There is a big problem in our economy as we depend on oil for most of our income. So, it is risk for all of us, not only for the private sector but also for the public sector employees. It is the right time to start restructuring private sector. Economic diversity, which we have been talking about in the last few years, has to take into account all the sectors,” admitted Ahmed Al Hooti, a member of the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI). He was speaking after the study
5%
salary hike is predicted by the firms in Oman in 2016, down from the previous forecast which stood at 5.4 per cent Photo by Jun Estrada/TIMES OF OMAN
by recruitment company Aon Hewitt, which released its predictions after surveying 600 multinational companies and locallyowned conglomerates in the GCC, claiming it to be the largest study of its kind in the Gulf region. Among the participating GCC organisations, the study predicted Omani firms will implement a five per cent salary growth for 2016, lower than the 2015 prediction, which stood at 5.4 per cent. However, salaries in Oman only appreciated by 4.6 per cent in 2015. Company officials also admitted that the market has slowed down and they are currently experiencing a delay in receiving pay-
ments from the market. “Many projects are on hold and we don’t know if this is going to continue for a longer duration. Sooner or later, the impact will be felt by all the players in the market. Taking this into account, I doubt that companies will afford giving a raise to their employees in 2016,” said Shiv Gupta, chief executive officer of an IT companybased in Muscat. Mohammed Shafiqul Islam Bhuiyan, the general manager of a private company, said a lot of companies are finding it tough to pay salaries on time. “So how can they boost the salaries next year?” he asked.
Echoing similar feelings, Mohammad Kabir Ahmed, managing director of United Dreams LLC, said the likelihood of salaries going up in 2016 was slim. “The market is down all over Oman,” he reiterated. However, most business owners admitted that there is a chance the market is going to improve during the next quarter. “The last quarter of 2015 is very important to Oman. If there is a dramatic improvement in the last quarter, then there is a chance,” they all admitted. Al Hooti urged the government to make changes to attract more investors to Oman. “This is the right time to lure Arab and other investors and urge them to invest in the fisheries, minerals and tourism sectors for the benefit of our economy,” he said. He also called on the government to relax rules and regulations for investors. “Sometimes, investors have to spend an enormous amount of time for paperwork in different ministries. So we urge the government to help investors finish the necessary paperwork in one or two weeks time so that they can start their business immediately,” Al Hooti added. He cited the example of an investor, who had to wait for more than a year to get his paperwork done. “During the entire time, he was also paying rent for the property he had invested in,” he said. GCC states have seen gross domestic product levels drop due to weakening global oil prices, said Aon Hewitt, and less foreign direct investment coming amid security concerns mounting in the region and large economies, such as Russia and China struggling with growth. >A6
R O B B E RY ATT E M P T
TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES
‘Report assault cases to police’
OMAN
Rescue team finds missing diver’s body
1
Rescue services have found the body of the diver who went missing around eight days ago, Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA) tweeted on Tuesday evening. Earlier in the day, PACDA confirmed it was continuing its search. > A3
WORLD
MARKET
Death for 7 in Kuwait mosque bombing
Oman Shipping to acquire ten vessels
2
Ten new medium range product tankers will join the fleet of state-owned Oman Shipping Company in the next one year, taking the total strength of the fleet to 53 from 43 now, said a top-level official of the company. >B1
A Kuwaiti court sentenced seven men to death, five of them in absentia, for their roles in a mosque bombing. A total of 29 defendants, seven of them women, had been on trial for helping a Saudi suicide bomber. >A14
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3
TARIQ AL HAREMI
tariqh@timesofoman.com
Ode to the sea
C7
MUSCAT: Police have urged citizens and residents to remain alert and report cases of assault, following an incident in Ruwi. An expatriate woman was assaulted by two young men near Al Falaj Hotel while she was undertaking her daily walk at around 7pm. Two young men riding on a scooter tried to snatch the phone she was holding in her hand. “I take a stroll on the same route daily. Recently, when I was walking, two boys came towards me on an unlicensed scooter and the boy sitting behind the driver grabbed my phone. But I held it on firmly and didn’t let it go,” said the expatriate girl, who asked to remain anonymous. “Then they took a U-turn and
tried to grab it again. But I put up a fight,” she said. Subsequently, a car came near the scene, but the driver did not offer any assistance. “I yelled for help, but he drove away. I couldn’t believe why some people don’t come forward to help in such situations,” she said. The robbers thrashed the girl, causing bruises on her face, but she fought back, striking one of the men’s chin with her elbow, which helped her to escape from their clutches. Speaking to Times of Oman, the ROP official said, “100 per cent of the time, the assaulted will not do anything to get hold of the assaulter whether it is by licence plate number, by detaining him or her. The police could get there in a second but people should also try and cooperate and direct the police to suspects. >A6
HELPING THE NEEDY
An Indian tailor who is lifeline for many stranded migrants REJIMON K
reji@timesofoman.com
SOCIAL COMMITMENT: Shaji Sebastin, an Indian expatriate tailor, has been living in Muttrah for the last 37 years. – Rejimon K
MUSCAT: Shaji Sebastin, an Indian expatriate tailor, living in Muttrah for the last 37 years, has not seen all of the Sultanate of Oman. But migrant workers from north to south know him well and come to his tiny shop in one of the alleys of Muttrah, to meet him with great hope when they are stranded or have no means to get out of the country. “Committed to the society and compassionate to the migrant community, providing help to them is ingrained in my blood. I believe in helping people when they are in dire need. During the last 37 years, I may not have become a successful person financially, but I have no regrets. I have been able to uphold my ethics and tried my best to become a good human being,”
said Shaji, who is fondly called Muttrah Shaji. Muttrah Shaji, who is a fan of the late Indian singer Mohammed Rafi, came to Muscat from Mumbai in 1978. Helping workers “Since then, I have tried my best to follow my profession as well as carry on with my social commitments simultaneously. During the last amnesty, I was able to dedicate myself to helping undocumented workers. Closing my shop, even for an hour, hurts my business as I have to live on my daily earnings. However, when it comes to helping stranded migrants, I never think of other things. Even when I have to go to bed without a morsel, I don’t regret that,” Shaji added. When asked to recall one case he has not forgotten until now, Shaji told about a housemaid who had
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suffered burns and was stranded in Oman for long. “With my family and embassy officials, we had to take care of her health for at least 15 days until her papers were cleared for her repatriation. There were many other cases too, but I can’t forget her. She had suffered a lot,” Shaji added.
Shaji worked as a tailor in Mumbai and came to Oman after a friend offered him a job here. “So, I thought of visiting a new country and having new experiences. A lot changed after that. It’s the third generation of customers who are coming to me now. I used to stitch for today’s customers’ grandmothers. Now, it’s the third generation. Styles have changed, but they still stick to the tradition,” Shaji added. Being a silent observer of Oman’s development during the last 37 years, Shaji is very impressed with the strategic plans adopted by the country. “Comparably, everyone knows that resources are low in Oman. But the strategic planning adopted by the country’s government has brought progress. I have witnessed it and admire the country for it,” Shaji added.