Many companies referred to authorities for manipulating national workforce

KUWAIT CITY, Sept 18: The National Labor Sector of the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM), has recently referred a group of companies to the Public Prosecution for manipulating the national labor support through fake employment of citizens, reports Al- Jarida daily.

The sources said the Inspection Department has been monitoring the companies which are involved in illusory recruitment of national workforce for monetary gains.

The incident was then referred to the legal affairs department of PAM which in turn referred these companies to the Public Prosecution.

The sources revealed PAM has recovered money from those who are not eligible for support, through monthly payments and pointed out that several lawsuits have been filed against persons who have unlawfully received financial support.

The sources stressed that PAM continues to fight the phenomenon of fake recruitment of national labor in the private sector through periodic inspections of companies and work sites, to ensure employees who benefit from government support actually work in the companies they represent and then sends the report to the concerned department which in turn disburses the support or stops it.

The sources disclosed that the implementation of the new decision to determine the percentage of national labor in the private sector was postponed until early 2020, denying rumors that the law binding the private sector to hire a certain percentage of national labor has been abolished.

The sources said that the decision was to be implemented last July, but at the request of some authorities have been postponed to the beginning of the New Year.

The sources pointed out that the goal of the postponement is to make some amendments to the decision for the benefit of all parties. Meanwhile, in response to a query from MP Muhammad Al- Hayef, a copy of which has been received by the Al-Jarida daily, the Minister of State for Economic Affairs Mariam Al-Aqeel said since 2016 the ministry has banned 231 people from applying for work permits and there are cases of 20 people acquiring visas despite the ban, reports the daily.

Al-Aqeel said, the Public Authority for Manpower received one complaint from an employer who applied for two work permits and after reviewing the complaint it was found that the two persons are on the ban list. However, the work permits were issued to a new employer upon new passports for the employees.

She added the concerned labor department summoned the new employer and the workers and instructions were given to cancel the work permit and return the workers to their respective countries.