‘Citizens have right to cash leave’

MP queries PAAAET terminations

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 30: MP Fares Al-Otaibi has submitted a bill on amending Private Sector Labor Law No. 6/2010 by adding a new article stating that citizens working in the private sector have the right to convert into cash at least 15 of their unused leave days.

The bill allows national private sector workers to accumulate their vacation and days off for more than two years and the employers must pay the corresponding amount for at least 15 of the unused leave days.

Meanwhile, MP Saleh Ashour asked Minister of Education, Higher Education and Research Ahmed Abdulwahab Al-Adwani to submit a list of employees and academic staff at Kuwait University and Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) who were fired recently, reasons behind their termination, if gradual measures were taken against them before the decision to terminate them, names of employees and academic staff who were terminated and then reinstated from Jan 1, 2017 till date, as well as the reasons behind their termination and reinstatement.

He also requested for a list of students on scholarship who are pursuing higher studies abroad (masters and doctorate), list of students whose applications for scholarship were rejected along with the reasons for rejection, and number of court cases filed by Kuwait University including reasons for filing such lawsuits.

Queries

MP Abdullah Jassim Al-Mudhaf forwarded queries to Minister of Health Ahmed Abdulwahab Al-Awadi about the number of doctors needed in every public hospital, if this number is based on results of studies on the expected number of patients in each shift, and reasons for the spread of infectious diseases.

He also wants to know the waiting period for patients to get an appointment with the doctor, and if the ministry conducts inspection campaigns in hospitals to ensure compliance with sanitation regulations.

MP Obaid Al-Wasmi forwarded queries to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Talal Khalid Al-Sabah about the legal basis for imposing security restrictions, date when such restrictions were enforced for the first time, legal consequences, number of cases that led to imposing security restrictions on the accused, department in charge of imposing these restrictions, procedures that must be followed to lift the restrictions, mechanism for informing the concerned public institutions about individuals subjected to security restrictions, if these restrictions are covered by the relevant international agreements, and if the restrictions affect the civil rights of the concerned individuals like dismissal from public sector jobs, delayed promotion or depriving them of their right to be employed and occupy senior positions.

Moreover, Assembly Speaker Ahmad Al-Saadoun met Vice President of the European Parliament Eva Kaili and her accompanying delegation who are currently on official visit to Kuwait. Deputy Assembly Speaker Muhammad AlMutair attended the meeting; along with members of the Welcoming Committee -- MPs Jenan Bu Shehri and Alia Al Khalid -- and Charge d’Affaires for the European Union delegation to Kuwait Gediminas Varanavicius . They discussed issues of mutual concern, ways to strengthen cooperation between Kuwait’s National Assembly and the European Parliament, and the most important regional and international issues.