1. Annual Leave

The annual leave is the most common type of leave, it entitles an employee to a minimum of 30 days of paid leave, granted they complete six months of employment. It can be taken in parts and can be carried over to the next year, provided that the total balance does not exceed 30 days, unless the leave was not taken due to work requirements.

2. Maternity Leave

Female employees are entitled to 98 days of paid maternity leave. This could be started at most 14 days before the expected date of birth. Something interesting most people don’t know is that this special treatment extends to when she comes back to work, as she is entitled to a one hour paid break per day for childcare for one year.

3. Paternity Leave

New fathers can get 7 days of paid paternity leave within 98 days of the child’s birth. If the mother passes away during childbirth or while on maternity leave, the father is entitled to the remainder of the maternity leave.

4. Sick Leave

If an employee provides a medical certificate from a recognised medical authority, the employee is granted a maximum of 182 days of sick leave per year. The employee is entitled to the full salary for the first 21 days. Should the employee’s illness continue, the pay is gradually reduced: the employee receives 75% of the salary for days 22-35, 50% for days 36-70, and 35% for the remaining time up to the 182-day annual limit.

5. Bereavement Leave

When losing a loved one, the Omani Labour Law grants employees paid leave to grieve. The employee is entitled to 10 days for the death of a spouse or child, 3 days for a parent, grandparent, or sibling, and 2 days for an aunt or uncle.

6. Iddah Leave

Iddah in Sharia law is the period a Muslim woman must observe in her home after the death of her husband. In that case, she is allowed 130 days, as opposed to 14 days for non-Muslim women.

7. Hajj Leave

Hajj is the annual pilgrimage Muslims perform in Mecca. The Labour Law grants Muslim employees 15 days of paid leave once during their service to perform the Hajj.

Conclusion

These were some of the leaves granted to employees under the Labour Law. It is important to note that there are other types of leaves that were not covered, such as marriage, study, and patient accompaniment leave. We highly recommend that all employers and employees make themselves familiar with all the provisions of the Labour Law.

You can read the Labour Law in full in English at the link below:

Written by:

Khalid Al-Ghafry

Khalid is legal intern at Decree. He has previously interned in both Omani and international law firms. He is about to start his final year in Law School at the University of Manchester.

The amendment created a new requirement for authorised signatories to fall under specific categories of individuals who can take this role, such as partners in the company, members of the board of directors, and administrative and finance staff. Notably it appears that it is now not possible to appoint an employee of another company who does not fall under any of the categories specified as authorised signatory.

This amendment of the Commercial Companies Regulation enters into force tomorrow. You can read the full text of this amendment in English on the link below:

The Sultan is the Prime Minister?

The current Prime Minister is Sultan Haitham. However, the Basic Statute of the State allows the Sultan to appoint someone else to be the Prime Minister. Most people don’t know that there was a period of time the Sultan actually appointed a Prime Minister. This happened between the years 1970 – 1972, where Sultan Qaboos appointed Sayyid Tariq bin Taimur (Sultan Haitham’s father) as Prime Minister.

Who Qualifies for the Council of Ministers?

For a person to be appointed a member of the Council of Ministers, they must be at least 30 years of age and they must be of Omani nationality by origin. The age requirement is to balance appointing young and talented leaders, while also ensuring they have the required experience.

Executive but with legislative roles?

The Council of Minister has many functions as the main body of the executive branch of the government, such as overseeing the functioning of the administrative apparatus of the state, monitoring the performance of its duties, and coordinating between its units. However, the Council of Ministers also drafts laws and royal decrees, which can be seen as being interconnected with the legislative branch of the government. If you are further interested in understanding the separation of powers in Oman, check out this post on our blog.

Ministers On Boards of Public Companies?

The Basic Statute of the State prohibits members of the Council of Ministers from being members of any board of directors of any public joint stock company (SAOG) during their tenure. However, they are not restricted from being members of boards of directors of other forms of companies, such as LLCs, and SAOCs.

Conclusion

The Council of Ministers remains one the most crucial bodies in the government of the Sultanate of Oman. You can learn more about it by reading the Basic Statute of the State in full in English at the link below:

Written by:

Khalid Al-Ghafry

Khalid is legal intern at Decree. He has previously interned in both Omani and international law firms. He is about to start his final year in Law School at the University of Manchester.