[ad_1]
This news has been read 96 times!
Residency enforcement disrupts construction timelines
KUWAIT CITY, July 7: The sharp increase in the wages of skilled and professional workers has continued to worsen, leading to a labor shortage. This has had a significant impact on citizens who own land and seek to build houses.
One of the main reasons is the massive outflow of people violating residency laws, with the rest being arrested in intensive security operations after a grace period for failing to regularize their status expired, all of whom the Interior Ministry said would be arrested. Many workers took advantage of the shortage to double their daily wages, causing delays in construction projects, especially renovation and refurbishment.
Khaled Al-Anzi, chairman of the Mutrah Residents’ Committee, told Al-Seyassah that the Interior Ministry’s crackdown on illegal labor has created challenges for plot owners to build houses. He noted that some workers’ daily wages have increased from 15 to 30 dinars due to the scarcity of labor available for jobs such as surveying, electrical work and renovation.
Anzi stressed the importance of the Ministry of Labour’s efforts to control illegal labour, but acknowledged that such activities have deterred workers from coming to Mutrah. Many workers fear being caught up in procedural issues, which has led them to avoid the area, further exacerbating the labour shortage. He noted that some workers have taken advantage of the situation to increase their wages, and ongoing projects have been disrupted as a result of their infrequent presence. He called for workers with professional experience to be allowed to transition to positions that match their skills, even if they were initially hired for a different job, such as drivers or farmers.
Al-Anzi praised the government’s decision to facilitate the transfer of Article 20 workers (domestic workers) to the private sector to address the labor shortage. Al-Anzi urged the authorities to speed up the process of introducing legal labor, provide incentives to attract trained workers, and allow workers with technical qualifications to work in the private sector. Khaled Al-Daihani, chairman of the South Abdullah Mubarak Residents Committee, told Al-Seyassah that although the Ministry of Interior’s activities are aimed at regulating the labor market and ensuring compliance with the law, they have inadvertently caused many workers to abandon construction projects for fear of legal consequences.
Al-Daihani noted that some workers have valid residence permits but perform occupations different from their official designation, such as decorators and electricians, which leads to construction delays, especially in tasks not covered by the main contractor’s contract. Al-Daihani called for effective policies and procedures to regulate the labor market and provide a trained and legal workforce to ensure the continuity of construction projects. In related news, the Ministry of Interior continues to work to arrest workers who have not taken advantage of the humanitarian grace period to modify their status or leave the country.
Over the weekend, security services arrested 100 offenders in operations in Wafra, Abdullah Farms, Angra and other areas. Security sources told Al-Seyassah daily that the offenders have been handed over to the relevant authorities and will be immediately deported and banned from re-entering the country.
Sources confirmed that security operations against those violating the residency law will continue, with surprise checkpoints planned to catch offenders. Once arrested, these individuals will be fingerprinted and immediately deported and will not be allowed to return to Kuwait. The operations launched recently in different locations are being overseen by Assistant Undersecretary for Public Security Affairs Major General Hamad Munefi, Major General Abdullah Safah and other security leaders.
By Mohammad Musler and Muneef Nayef
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff
This news has been read 96 times!
[ad_2]
Source link
