VZCZCXRO4056
RR RUEHDE
DE RUEHMS #1458/01 2831122
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 101122Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY MUSCAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7247
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MUSCAT 001458 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARPI, DRL (A. ANZALDUA) 
STATE ALSO FOR NEA/PI (S. FRANCESKI AND B. ORBACH) 
DEPARTMENT PASS USTR FOR J. BUNTIN AND A. ROSENBERG 
DOL FOR J. SHEA, B. SHEPARD AND J. RUDE 
US MISSION GENEVA FOR LABOR ATTACHE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB ETRD KMPI PGOV PHUM MU
SUBJECT: OFFICIALS SAY OMAN STILL ON TRACK TO PUBLISH NEW 
UNION REGULATIONS 
 
REF: MUSCAT 01084 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Officials at the Ministry of Manpower claim 
they are on track to publish regulations implementing recent 
reforms to Oman's labor law before the target date of October 
¶31.  The International Labor Organization (ILO) has seen a 
draft of the regulations and provided comments.  Union 
representatives, however, complain that they have been left 
out of the process.  In addition, contacts at the Ministry 
state that the new regulations may necessitate immediate 
union elections, a measure opposed by union representatives. 
End Summary. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
Ministry Preparing to Issue Guidelines 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Undersecretary for Labor Affairs, Sayyid Hamad bin 
Hilal al-Busaidi, stated October 9 to Poloff and members of a 
visiting ILO delegation that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) 
is putting the final touches on regulations to enforce and 
implement labor law reforms specificed in Royal Decree 
74/2006 of July 8 (reftel).  The new regulations, contained 
in two ministerial decrees, cover freedom of association, 
collective bargaining and the right to strike.  A special 
committee of the MOM's Department of Legal Affairs has 
completed its review of the regulations for freedom of 
association, according to the Undersecretary and officials 
from that department, and plan to review the remaining 
regulations in the next few days. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The Undersecretary commented that the government is 
intent upon completing the regulations before October 31, the 
date the Sultanate previously set to bring its labor laws 
into compliance with the provisions of the US-Oman Free Trade 
Agreement (FTA).  He turned down an offer from the ILO 
delegation for legal technical assistance to finish the 
regulations, stating that the MOM already incorporated 
comments from the ILO, which saw early drafts.  The 
Undersecretary further stated that the regulations now are 
one step away from becoming law; once the special committee 
finishes its work, the MOM will send the regulations to the 
Ministry of Legal Affairs for final review and publication in 
the official gazette.  (Note: Post asked to be provided with 
a draft of the regulations.  Officials stated that the 
Ministry normally does not share draft laws with foreign 
missions, but that they will bring Post's request to the 
attention of the Minister of Manpower, Juma bin Ali al-Juma. 
End note.) 
 
----------------------------------- 
Possibility of New Union Elections? 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Members of the General Federation of Workers of the 
Sultanate of Oman, formerly called the "Main Representative 
Committee," claim that the Ministry has not included them in 
the process of developing the implementing regulations as it 
moves quickly to meet FTA obligations.  Nabhan al-Battashi, 
who heads the federation's Rights and Duties subcommittee, 
and Saoud al-Jabri, head of the External Relations 
subcommittee, complained that the Federation has not seen a 
draft of the regulations or been asked to provide substantive 
comment.  As a result, they said, the Federation is uncertain 
what effect the regulations may have on the way unions 
currently are organized. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Further, contacts at both the MOM and the Federation 
stated separately that they are aware of discussions within 
the Ministry to require new union elections immediately after 
the regulations are published.  Saleh Ayil Khamis Alamri, 
Director General of the MOM's Department of Labor Care,and 
Yacoub al-Kharbushi, director of the MOM's newly-created 
Department of Union Organizations, stated that the 
regulations may invalidate the results of previous elections, 
and that new elections could be necessary to bring unions 
into compliance with the law.  Al-Battashi and al-Jabri 
believe, however, that the Federation has received assurances 
from Minister al-Juma that unions will be able to maintain 
their current leadership for up to two years.  They opined 
that the Federation needs time to organize, educate and 
prepare its members for new elections, estimating that at 
least 80% of the country's unions currently are inactive, and 
that members of the same union often do not know each other. 
 
MUSCAT 00001458  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶6. (SBU) Comment: Despite their frustration at being left out 
of the process, members of the Federation expect that the new 
regulations at least will delineate the space in which they 
can operate.  The government hopes that the new regulations 
finally will satisfy its labor commitments under the FTA. 
FONTENEAU