New guidelines issued for reporting expats’ absence from work

Oman’s Ministry of Manpower (MoM) has issued a ministerial decision that was published in the official gazette on Sunday, Oman Observer reported.

The decision stipulates that a private sector company has to report the termination of the contract of an expatriate employee, only if:

– There is a dispute (criminal or debt-related cases) between the employer and the employee that existed before the employee withdraws himself or is absent from the job

– If the employee has left the country before reporting his absence from work or stopped working, and the employer is aware of the employee’s action

– If the worker is on a vacation that is legally due, or absent for reasons other than the provisions of the law

– If the employer accepts the resignation of an employee, he can issue a no-objection certificate. The employee can transfer his services to a new employer within 30 days (notice period).

– The employer shall report the absence of an employee only seven days after he stopped working.

– The employee gets 60 days to file an objection to the report filed by the employer about his absence from work.