Doha: Assistant Undersecretary for Labour Affairs at the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs, Mohammed Hassan Al Obaidli, has said that a worker is required to attach his resignation copy with the application for job change. He said that signature and stamp of the new company is also needed where a worker wants to transfer.
Speaking in a Qatar TV programme, Al Obaidli, said that the job change application, submitted to the Ministry will be assessed to accept or reject following the certain rules and regulations in this regard.
“In case of acceptance, a text message will be sent to the employer informing him about the transfer of his worker and notice period and this will be considered second message from the Ministry to the employer,” said Al Obaidli.
“First text message issued from the Ministry responding to the application of a worker for job change does not mean final approval rather than to inform the employer that his worker has applied for job transfer and the application is under assessment of the Ministry,” said Al Obaidli.
“We in the Ministry redrafted the text message to make it clear for employer and worker. The amended text message contains that a worker submitted a request for changing job from one company to other mentioning the name of new company. The message also includes that the request is under assessment so the worker should remain in the company until the end of the assessment.”
He said that the text message also includes that employer is entitled to make inquiry about the application enabling him to raise his concerns through hotline or email available in the text message.
Al Obaidli said that a worker who spent two years and above in his company should serve two months notice period and one month in case of less than two years.
“The new company (where a worker wants to transfer) should adhere to the wage protection system, labor law, be active, have business and project,” said Al Obidli.
Al Obidli said that that the employer has right to claim for any charges and cost related to training the workers and obtaining driving license from new employer as per the law which safeguard the rights of employer and employee.
“It is mandatory for employer and worker as well to comply to the job contract because both parties have rights and liabilities for each other,” said Al Obaidli.
He said that if a worker violated the clauses of job contract or provisions of labor law and left the country cannot return to Qatar for a year.
He said that the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs is very cooperative with small and medium enterprises (SMEs). “During coming times, the coordination will be more through Qatar Development Bank which takes care of these projects.”
“In case of transfer of the workers from these companies they will be compensated with new visas for hiring workers,” he added.
Speaking about resuming the process of issuing approval for labour recruitment, Al Obaidli said: “The service was suspended due to COVID-19 which had shut down the airports all over the world.
With gradual lifting of coronvirus restrictions on travel, the Ministry decided to resume the service due to need of oversees workers for ongoing projects.”
Regarding future plan to hire workers, he said that the Ministry targeted skilled and specialised workforce.