‘Private sector Kuwaitis must be at work’

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 29: Following the formation of the new government, the Minister of Commerce and Industry Fahad Al-Shariaan, in his first statement, stressed the need to take a firm decision concerning residency permits for expatriates who are 60 years and above and without a university degree. He described the matter staying pending and unresolved as “worrying”, adding that, “We recommend taking a decision in this file”. Al-Shariaan said, “The situation must be amended, and the matter resolved. It shouldn’t be left suspended in this manner”.

Regarding the placement of positions in the Ministry of Commerce, Al-Shariaan explained, “We cannot say yes or no before we see the ministry and deal with it. However, there is nothing before we see the situation on the ground. The employees of the ministry are more knowledgeable about it, and we come as a political front. The employees of the ministry always have better knowledge about it, while we are just guests of the ministry”.

He stressed that, “The confidence of the political leadership is an honorable thing. We hope that all will be well during the coming period, as the challenges are formidable and great. God willing, the team I will work with will be homogeneous and capable of overcoming some difficulties and arrange priorities during the coming period”. Meanwhile, the national manpower sector of the Public Authority for Manpower, will from January 2022 to launch extensive inspection campaigns on Kuwaiti workers in the private sector, employees registered under Chapter Three of General Organization for Social Insurance to ensure they are on the job, reports Al-Jarida daily quoting reliable sources.

The aim of these campaigns is to know their exact numbers in the private sector and then take decisions which are expected to be issued soon, to bring their privileges on par with their counterparts in the government sector. According to the sources the Third Chapter workers make up about 80% of the total national workforce, who receive approximately 35 million dinars per month in government support, stressing that PAM is determined to fight fake employment in the private sector, and limit the disbursement of support only to those who deserve it, meaning who actually ‘are on the job’.

The sources added that “the total number of those registered under Chapters Three and Five ranges between 65 and 68 thousand, and receive more than half a billion dinars annually,” stressing that according to the expected campaigns, the actually working citizens who are entitled to “employment support” will be identified, and support to others will be stopped and money that the state spent on them will be recovered. The sources stressed several court verdicts have been issued against citizens obliging them to return the amounts taken illegally, pointing out that if the debtor citizen joins government work, the amount he received is deducted from his salary on a monthly basis.