The Supreme Committee on Covid -19 on Wednesday approved a number of packages to support the private sector and its employees in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

The decisions include:

1. The affected private sector companies may negotiate a reduction in the wages of their employees for a period of three months in exchange for a reduction in working hours.

2. The affected private sector institutions and companies are entitled to grant annual paid vacations to their workers in sectors that have been closed due to the current situation.

3. Employers can renew the expired license of their expatriate workers who are currently abroad during the precautionary period

4. The affected private sector companies and institutions may negotiate to reduce the wages of their employees for a period of three months in exchange for reducing the working hours after the balance of the employee’s paid vacations has been fully exhausted, provided that this procedure is applied – if necessary – from May 2020.

5. Reduction of renewal fees of expatriate visa starting today from RO301 to RO201 until June 2020.

6. Extending the period of non-Omani workforce recruitment licenses that expires during this period. Initial work licenses may be approved for a non-Omani workforce that is partial or temporary use, where fees are calculated for the number that the establishment wants.

7. Multiple establishments owned by the same partners may delegate their employees to work in any of these establishments when necessary, and the package allows private sector establishments to use the workforce of other establishments to work in their facilities according to a written agreement between the establishments.

8. Allowing affected private sector institutions and companies to terminate their non-Omani workforce labour contracts, provided that these institutions commit to paying all workers dues before leaving the country permanently.