By B Izzak

KUWAIT: MP Abdullah Al-Turaiji submitted a proposal on Wednesday calling to restrict the transfer of workers to other jobs, urging the government to change laws to protect employers who recruit and train the workers. In his proposal, Turaiji called on the interior ministry to coordinate with other government departments to study the phenomenon of workers who escape from employers, or what he called "a theft of trained and skilled workers" by other employers.

The lawmaker said employers recruit workers or domestic helpers and provide them with good training, boosting their experience and skills, but are surprised when they desert them for other employers for better pay or working conditions. He called for reviewing legislation and regulations and taking the necessary decisions to protect the rights of the "first" employer who employs workers for at least six months, directly contributing to improving their work skills.

Turaiji proposed that workers who are recruited by employers and work for them for at least one year and then want to change jobs should be asked to leave the country and be allowed to return only after five years. However, the lawmaker called for considering legislation changes that establish a balance between the legal protection for workers guaranteed by the constitution and at an international level and safeguarding the rights of employers and Kuwait's labor market.

Turaiji specifically referred to cases where citizens recruit domestic helpers, drivers, farmers or cooks without any experience and after helping them gain experience and skills, they demand to go to another employer for better pay, adding that in many cases such workers are encouraged by labor offices and other citizens or foreigners.

The same applies to law offices that recruit legal advisers, who after gaining the necessary experience, move to other employers for a "limited" salary increase. Turaiji blamed brokers and labor offices for part of the problem and what he described as the greed of workers as the other part. Under Kuwaiti law, a majority of expat workers are free to change jobs after serving for at least one year with their current employers. If the employers refuse to provide them with the necessary release, the court will force them to do so.