BY FAZEENA SALEEM
DOHA: Violations by private companies regarding delayed payment of wages to workers have come down by 30 percent even before the mandatory online wage payment system is to come into force.
The Wage Protection System (WPS) is slated to be enforced from November 3 as a fresh deadline given to companies to comply with the system ends on November 2. A senior official of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs told Al Sharq on the sidelines of a press conference yesterday that no private company can skip the WPS once it comes into force.
Mohamed Al Meer, head of public relations at the ministry, said that an awareness drive was launched by the ministry for target companies (all private companies covered by the labour law of 2004) and the campaign has helped companies prepare themselves for the WPS.
He hinted in remarks to Al Sharq that a positive outcome of the campaign had been that violations by companies had come down at least 30 percent.
Meanwhile, at the press conference it was officially announced that the WPS will be launched from November 3. Domestic workers are unlikely to benefit from the WPS as the system applies only to private sector workers. Another ministry official said in reply to a question from The Peninsula that domestic workers wouldn’t be covered.
Salah Saeed Al Shawi, head of legal affairs, said the WPS is being launched only for private sector workers covered by the labour law, whereas domestic workers are not covered by it.
The ministry has set up a separate department to be manned by trained inspectors to closely monitor WPS and single out violations.
All banks will also have dedicated units to monitor the WPS. Qatar Central Bank has directed all banks to open worker accounts provided the workers have valid RP and ID card. The WPS inspection unit of the ministry will ensure that all companies follow WPS. Companies have been given a deadline until November 2 to comply.
Companies cannot use lame excuses to remain out of the WPS, the officials reiterated. They must comply as they will have no other option. It seems that the WPS would be launched in one go and not in phases as suggested by some media reports earlier.
Company owners not transferring workers’ wages electronically in time will be liable to be prosecuted and could face jail terms not exceeding a month or a fine of QR2,000 to QR6,000 or both, said Al Shawi.
“We have created awareness among the companies about WPS, and many have started to follow it,” Al Shawi said.
Employers should transfer workers’ wages to their respective accounts with banks or financial institutions within seven days of the due date.
Once workers open a bank account, an automated system will be created to transfer salaries of workers under the WPS.
It could be accessed by labour ministry officials for monitoring.
“There is no need for the inspectors to pay field visits to companies and check. They can monitor through the system,” said Khalid Abdullah Sultan Abduallh Ghanim, Director, Labour Inspection Department, at the ministry.
“However, if any worker complains to us about wages, we will immediately look into the matter and take necessary action,” he added.
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