MINISTER OF MANPOWER ISSUES NEW OCCUPATIONAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L MUSCAT 000500 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP, G/TIP, DRL DEPARTMENT OF LABOR FOR JRUDE E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/02/2018 TAGS: PHUM PREL KCRM KWMN SMIG ELAB KMPI MU SUBJECT: MINISTER OF MANPOWER ISSUES NEW OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY REGULATIONS REF: A. 06 MUSCAT 1635 ¶B. MUSCAT 106 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Alfred Fonteneau, reasons 1.4 b/d. ¶1. (U) In a step that a Ministry of Manpower (MOM) official told poloff was "directly related to stopping trafficking in persons (TIP)," Minister of Manpower Juma bin Ali al Juma issued new occupational health and safety regulations on July 1 that cover all private sector companies operating in Oman. According to local press reports, the regulations took effect immediately, setting minimum standards for conditions both on the work site and in company-owned and operated residential compounds locally known as "labor camps" (ref A). Omani press further reported that the International Labor Organization (ILO) had reviewed and commented on the draft regulations prior to their release to make sure that they conformed to "international work principles and standards." ¶2. (C) Comment: Post saw an early draft of the more than 200 pages of regulations, which included chapters on the space, size and sanitation requirements for labor camps, as well as the responsibilities of employers to protect workers' health and safety while on-the-job. In previous meetings with the Ambassador, Juma often has highlighted his Ministry's efforts to develop these regulations as an anti-TIP measure on the grounds that they provide Oman with a tool to prevent abusive conditions often associated with labor exploitation (ref B). The MOM now is faced with the challenge of quickly developing its capacity to enforce the regulations, something with which the USG could help as part of its ongoing efforts to prevent TIP and support labor reform in Oman. FONTENEAU