‘NOC should stay but with some tweaks’
Freedom of movement is good but within certain limits that don’t hurt the economy and business
MUSCAT: It’s here to stay for now, but the No Objection Certificate system could be modified to ensure it works for everyone, according to the head of a government think tank on manpower.
“I think expats must understand the company has outsourced a certain job to them so they should be fair to the company by honouring the two-year contract. In this manner, the NOC is good and should stay and expats must honour their contract,” said Shashwar Al Balushi, who is also CEO of the Oman Society of Contractors.
With more than 35,000 votes cast in a recent Twitter poll by a government policy implementation unit, there was 59 per cent support for the NOC ruling.
“However, the NOC structure must be modified to make sure it works well. If an expat worker has completed his two year contract and wants to leave the current employer, he must be allowed to leave without the need for an NOC,” Al Balushi added.
“The point is that he has the experience of working in Oman. Making him leave Oman is bad for the economy as the company has spent a lot on training the employee to understand the Omani market.
“Now bringing a new expat worker from outside will take the same resources to train, which only increases costs,” explained Al Balushi. “If the worker wants to leave before completing the two year contract, an NOC should be required. This will protect companies in Oman and balance the NOC equation.”
Currently, an employee needs to obtain an NOC from the employer to shift jobs either in the middle of the contract or at the end of it, giving the company enormous power over a worker’s career progression within the country.
According to Sheikh Salah Al Mawali, deputy CEO of Oman’s SME Fund, workers must be allowed freedom of movement, and it is up to the employees to stay loyal to the company.
“I think it is good to let people move around but again if I see a CV of a person that has moved around a lot, working for a company for less than two or three years, I feel it affects his or her reputation,” he said.