Category: Law Updates

The Ministry of Labour published in this week’s Official Gazette Decision 450/2024, repealing Decision 90/2013 and issuing a new framework for dealing with private sector establishments that violate the Labour Law. The decision of 2013 provided a very simple set of provisions for dealing with violations, whereas the new decision provides a more comprehensive framework.

The new decision clarifies the process for policing violations and stipulates that reports can only be issued by employees with judicial enforcement status. It also clarifies that employees must have an identity card stating their identity, which they are required to disclose if asked.

The main provision of the 2013 and 2024 decisions is the MOL’s power to suspend the services of companies that violate Labour Law. The 2024 decision changes these services by removing old provisions and adding new ones, and they include services such as issuing work permits to non-Omanis and transferring the services of the violating workers.

You can read the full decision in English on the link below:

The Environment Authority published in this week’s Official Gazzete Decision 150/2024 Issuing the Regulation Governing the Possession of Domesticated Wild Animals.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) published in this week’s Official Gazette Decision 1152/2/19/2024-12 Issuing the Regulation on the Governance and Approval of Telecommunications Devices, repealing the Regulation of Dealing in Telecommunications Devices of 2015.

The Oman Authority for Academic Accreditation and Quality Assurance for Education published in this week’s Official Gazette Decision 2/2024 regarding the process of filing a grievance against the national qualification framework’s result.

When the higher education institutions are not satisfied with the OAAA’s accreditation result, they now have the right to file a grievance against the result under Decision 2/2024 within 60 days from the date of sending the result; however, they must do so after they have paid a non-refundable fee of 1,500 Rial Omani for each grievance. 

You can learn more about the grievance process to the OAAA by reading the full text of Decision 2/2024 on the link below:

The Ministry of Social Development published in this week’s Official Gazette Decision 217/2024 issuing the Governance Regulation for the Work of Social Development Committees and Volunteer Teams, repealing the Governance Regulation for the Work of Social Development Committees of 2016.

The new regulation introduces the legal framework for establishing volunteer teams in the community. Each wilayat is permitted to have one volunteer team, with an additional one if the public interest requires it.

The regulation sets the rules for establishing, managing and financing volunteer teams.

The new regulation enters into force tomorrow. You can read it in full in English on the link below:

In this week’s Official Gazette, the Ministry of Social Development issued a brand new Governance Regulation for the Care of the Elderly in Foster Families.

This regulation provides the legal framework for families to submit an application to the MOSD to foster an elderly person who meets the requirements stipulated in the regulation such as being an Omani national who does not enjoy adequate family care, and is free from communicable diseases. Only families who have at least one Omani member can submit an application to foster an elderly person, and this family must prove that it has appropriate housing and is financially capable of supporting the elderly person, among other requirements stipulated in the regulation.

The Governance Regulation for the Care of the Elderly in Foster Families enters into force tomorrow. You can read it in full in English on the link below:

The FSA published in this week’s Official Gazette a Decision Amending Some Provisions of the Regulation Governing Clearing and Settlement which included a minor change to article 14 of the regulation.

Article 14 of the regulation outlines that upon executing a sale or purchase transaction, the securities are recorded in the electronic system under the status of “Deemed Sold Awaiting Settlement” or “Deemed Bought Awaiting Settlement, Sale Permitted,” respectively. Ownership is registered to the buyer on the day of settlement, and this settlement is considered final.

The amendment makes a small specific change to the wording of the original article 14 by stipulating that the settlement cannot be “conditional or deferred”.

This amendment enters into force tomorrow. You can read the text of the decision in full on the link below:

In this week’s issue of the Official Gazette, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Water Resources published Ministerial Decision 137/2024 Amending Some Provisions of the Executive Regulation of the Agricultural Quarantine Law.

The amendment introduces a brand new article 9bis that imposes new potential requirements prior to issuing an agricultural licence by giving the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Water Resources the power to verify, before issuing the licence and at the cost of the importer, the agricultural practices, phytosanitary management systems, and risk analysis applied in farms, nurseries, or production sites, and evaluate them in the country of export or the country of origin.

The new amendment enters into force tomorrow. You can read it in full in English on the link below:

In accordance with article 127 of the Social Protection Law, the branch of maternity leave insurance applies compulsorily to all Omanis working in Oman, but this article left determining the extent to which it applies to non-Omanis to a decision by the Board of Directors of the Social Protection Fund. Beneficiaries of this insurance branch are entitled to 98 days of paid maternity leave.

This week’s issue of the Official Gazette included a decision by SPF on this matter, and it stipulates that the maternity leave insurance branch applies compulsorily to non-Omanis working in the government as well as those working in private sector establishments to whom the Labour Law applies.

You can read the text in full in English at the link below: 

ROP published in this week’s issue of the Official Gazette Decision 88/2024 Issuing the Controls for Providing Vehicle Technical Inspection Service which creates a framework for outsourcing Traffic Law related inspection to private sector establishments.

By virtue of this new decision, a private sector establishment wishing to apply for a licence to offer vehicle inspection services must be wholly owned by Omanis, must equip its garages with approved tools, must maintain an electronic database linked to the Directorate General of Traffic, and must employ qualified technicians who adhere to safety standards during inspections.

The controls impose a number of obligations on establishments licensed to offer this service, such as the prohibition against inspection of vehicles involved in accidents or the sale or installation of spare parts to bypass inspection.

Penalties for violating the new controls include warnings, fines of up to 100 Rial Omani (double upon repetition), as well as licence suspension or cancellation.

You can read the text in full in English at the link below: