Starting today, both Omani nationals and expatriate workers in Oman will have the convenience of submitting their labor complaints online via the Ministry of Manpower's (MoM's) official portal, www.manpower.gov.om This digital platform will streamline the process and provide a user-friendly interface for individuals seeking to address their labor-related concerns.
The ministry has announced that the system will be operational on a trial basis for the next two months. After this period, manual complaints will no longer be accepted, as stated in a special notice on the ministry's official portal. In June, the Times of Oman reported that the ministry had launched an online platform for workers to submit their complaints. During the initial phase, 512 individuals utilized the complaint portal.
Initially, the portal was only available in Arabic, but on August 2, it was also made accessible in English. According to the ministry, the online platform allows for the submission of labor complaints and the ability to seek updates on labor law violations.
The online complaint platform emphasizes that the complainant should not delay in lodging their claim, in accordance with Article 7 of the Labor Law. Article 7 stipulates that the employee's right to make a claim under this law expires one year from the date the claim arose.
For cases initiated prior to the implementation of this law, the one-year deadline will begin from the date the law came into effect. The online platform also explicitly states that an employer cannot retaliate against the complainant for approaching the Ministry of Manpower (MoM) to file a complaint.
A legal advisor in Muscat explained an alternative method for registering a labor complaint, which involves the complainant approaching the Labor Dispute Department and completing a form with all the necessary details about the complainant, employer, and labor claims.
According to a manpower official, apart from the online registration of complaints, all other procedures will remain unchanged. Meanwhile, a social worker based in Muscat commended the new service, stating that an online facility for lodging complaints is a positive step. The ease of access to a service that allows individuals to file grievances helps resolve half of the problems, according to Shaji Sebastian, an Indian social worker in Oman.
