KUWAIT: According to law no. 6/2010, the Public Authority of Manpower (PAM) issued a decree banning laborers from working outdoors from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm in summer, from June 1 to Aug 31 every year. This includes hard work done outdoors in the heat to protect the laborers from the extreme weather conditions.
Kuwait Times followed the application of the ban and compliance by companies in various areas. Daily observances at different locations, especially construction sites, revealed many violations of this law and tens of workers working under the hot sun. PAM warned companies they would face sanctions in case they violated the law and forced laborers to work during the ban. Inspectors regularly monitored various locations in all of Kuwait’s governorates. PAM also received complaints from the public, who reporting seeing laborers working during the ban hours.
The number of violations registered by PAM’s inspectors from the beginning of the ban till July 31, 2019 reached 1,219. “The inspectors went on repeated inspections of these locations that received notices, and legal action was taken towards companies that were still in violation, with their files transferred to the legal department,” Public Relations Director at PAM Aseel Al-Maziad told Kuwait Times.
The penalties for violating companies are set according to the following process: “After the inspector gives the violating employer a notice to avoid the violation, they visit the location again. If the violation is repeated, then the employer will have to pay a fine of KD 100 to KD 200 for each worker,” she said. The worker does not bear any responsibility. “Whether the worker decided to work during the ban hours by himself or the employer asked him to do so, in all cases the employer takes full responsibility for this violation and the worker will not be penalized,” stressed Maziad.
By Nawara Fattahova
