DUBAI: A Kuwaiti MP has called for a ban that would restrict expat workers living in the country from changing jobs before completing five years’ service.
Abdullah Al-Turaiji MP, submitted the proposal on Wednesday calling for the rule change that would restrict workers in the country from changing jobs before completing five years with the same employer, national daily Kuwait Times reported.
Al-Turaiji urged government officials to change laws in order to protect employers who invest time and money in recruiting and training their employees.
And he called for legislation to be reviewed to protect the rights of employers from what he called ‘a theft of trained and skilled workers’ by other recruiters.
According to the Kuwaiti MP, there have been several instances where citizens have recruited inexperienced domestic helpers, drivers, farmers, or personal cooks who have later left them for other employers offering better pay.
Al-Turaiji suggested that employees should work for their current employer for at least one year, leave the country, and only return after five years if they wanted to change jobs.
He added that the purpose of the proposal was to ‘safeguard the rights’ of employers and Kuwait’s labor market.
His proposed rule change would also apply to law offices that recruited legal advisors, who allegedly changed jobs for ‘limited’ salary increases after gaining the necessary skills.
Al-Turaiji blamed brokers and labor offices for being part of what he views as a problem for employers, and described workers as being ‘greedy’.
Currently, labor laws in Kuwait allow most expat workers to change jobs freely if they have been with their current employers for at least one year. Should an employer refuse to provide an employee with the necessary release, the court forces them to do so.
