KUWAIT: Aseel Al-Mizyed, Spokesperson and Director of Public Relations and Information at the Public Authority for Manpower. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: Businessmen who employ less than five workers can pay their salaries in cash without the need to transfer them through banks, according to a new decision issued by the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM). Employers in this case who fail to transfer the salaries of their employees should prepare a record proving that the payments were made on time, said Aseel Al-Mizyed, Spokesperson and Director of Public Relations and Information at PAM. The inspection department will prepare a register of those paying employees their salaries without transferring it to banks, she added.

Workers' death

Secretary General of the Ministry of Electricity and Water's (MEW) Workers Union Nawaf Buyabes asked for information about the drowning deaths of contract workers on Saturday at the West Doha station. He demanded an investigation to make sure about the contractor's compliance with safety and security procedures. Buyabes said this incident is not the first of its kind, as there have been many accidents in the past and the fault is that of the companies that are not qualified, along with the existence of grave mistakes and violations. He demanded that all companies provide safety and security requirements in a way that fits the nature of work they are doing.

Gas prices

Municipal Council member and Farwaniya Committee Chairman Nayef Al-Sour criticized the government's intentions to hike gasoline prices, adding that the simple citizen will be harmed by this unstudied decision. He said Kuwait is among the major oil producers and exporters, and subsidizing fuel is among the priorities that "we have been used to for years." He said this unfair decision must be scrapped, especially that the decision will cause limited income people to lose much.

By Meshaal Al-Enezi