The delay in having the law approved was due to many councillors claiming there were numerous legal loopholes.
Councillors yesterday agreed to reinstate an emitted article that will grant employees the right for compensation for damages caused by their employers’ termination of their contracts. This applies whenever the company is shut down completely or partially, or sees reductions in activity or production.
However, they decided to limit employees’ rights to only obliging the employer to pay three months of compensation for open contracts and the period remaining in timed contracts.
Councillors last week had emitted an article that would have employees compensated according to a table on the amounts to be later announced by the Labour Ministry instead by a court order.
Services committee vice-chairman and secretary Sameera Bin Rajab said that the amendment on the three-month rule proposed by council first vice-chairman Jamal Fakhro and approved by the council was catastrophic.
"It would mean unfairness to employees, who could be earning more according to their grades and years of service," she said.
"This ensures fairness to the employer, while employees will be robbed of their jobs and at the same time a fair compensation. Those who are working on timed contracts will be getting somehow a fair compensation, while those on permanent contracts will be shown the door unfairly."
Meanwhile, the council agreed to reinstate the Islamic time-off period for female widows after emitting the article earlier on the basis that the cost would be huge on the employer.
A group of councillors, led by former Health Minister Dr Nada Haffadh, demanded that the time-off is reinstated, but to reduce it to a month instead of four months.
However, councillor Weddad Al Fadhel said that one month was not in line with the teaching of Islam and that the period should be four months and 10 days in accordance with the religion, but only to Muslims. She said that number of women becoming widows in a year was small and having it in the law wouldn’t be a problem. The council voted in favour of Ms Al Fadhel and the entire law will now be referred to parliament.
