Foreign companies must hire minimum 30% Kuwaiti manpower to enjoy privileges

Manpower authority to build shelter for abused male laborers

KUWAIT: Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA) mandated that all foreign investment companies hire Kuwaitis in order to enjoy the privileges it provides to them, said informed sources. The sources added that KDIPA Director Sheikh Meshaal Al-Jaber issued a decision on the mechanism to be followed on licensing foreign companies and the privileges they get according to the following conditions on the ratio of citizens hired: License and privileges will be rejected if Kuwaiti manpower is less than 30 percent; Only the license will be given for 30-55 percent Kuwaiti employees; License and one selected incentive to be given to those hiring 60-80 percent of the manpower from citizens; License and all incentives for companies hiring 85-100 percent citizens.

Males shelter
The Public Authority for Manpower has started building a new shelter for male expatriates, which is expected to be completed soon, official sources at the authority said. The authority currently has a shelter for female domestic helpers experiencing problems with their sponsors, the sources noted, adding that the shelter provides psychological, social, legal and health services for them during their stay.

Labor demands
Ministry of Social Affairs’ acting undersecretary Hana Al-Hajeri stressed that all ministry sectors fully respect laws and regulations in terms of protecting workers’ rights and un-biasedly enforce the law. Responding to tweets made by the head of the ministry’s employees’ syndicate in which he criticized the ministry’s labor demands’ committee, Hajeri said he should have instead submitted a complaint and discussed them with the committee.

Water cuts
The Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) recently offered a tender for public bidding to purchase, supply and install 30 mobile reverse osmosis units with a daily 100,000 imperial gallon capacity each to be used for desalinating water with low salinity in various locations around the country. Informed sources at the ministry said this step comes within MEW’s efforts to develop its capacity to handle water cuts and emergencies during blackouts that take a long time to be fixed. The sources added that MEW will be using the new units, costing KD 5,360,000, in residential areas, National Guard camps, water reservoirs and wherever water is needed during power outages.

Bedoon pilgrims
The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs is expected today to announce the final lists of bedoon pilgrims accepted to perform hajj this year, ministry sources said. The sources added that accepted pilgrims had been notified by SMS over the past few days, urging them to check with the hajj convoys allocated to bedoons.

By A Saleh and Meshaal Al-Enezi

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