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