The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor is expected to issue a number of decisions related to the proposed alternatives to the sponsorship system after the Eid Al-Fitr holidays , reports Al-Shahid daily quoting sources from the ministry.
Asserting these decisions are aimed at lifting restrictions imposed on expatriate workers on Article 18 visa, sources affirmed the ministry will take several measures in line with the courageous step of Minister Mohammad Al-Afasi to allow expatriate workers on Article 18 visa and were hired from abroad to transfer their residence permits to another sponsor without approval of the current sponsor provided they spent three years with the latter.
Sources said additional measures will also be taken to organize the re-registration of expatriate workers deleted from their employers’ files, provide more facilities and implement flexible procedures in this regard.
Other decisions in the pipeline include the promotion of department heads and some comptrollers, filling up vacancies in the labor departments, and taking the necessary actions against charitable societies proven to have committed violations during Ramadan.

Protect
Meanwhile, Kuwait Trade Union Federation (KTUF) has stressed the need to present carefully studied alternatives to the sponsorship system to protect the rights of employers and expatriate workers, reports Al-Qabas daily.
According to the Media Committee at the union, the sponsorship system cannot be cancelled without an appropriate alternative which, sources say, is available at the ministry and related to the establishment of a joint company comprising of representatives from Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and the ministries of Commerce, Industry, Social Affairs, Labor and Interior.  The committee has reaffirmed the union’s commitment to work in the interest of the country, protect its image in the international and regional communities, and defend the rights of national workers.  
Stating it is unacceptable to violate rights of the Kuwaiti society under the guise of protecting human rights, the committee slammed the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor for claiming to protect the rights of expatriate personnel through the cancellation of the sponsorship system while forgetting that it is the main cause of this problem due to its failure to monitor institutions and companies.  The committee also wondered if the concerned authorities are aware that the Labor Law is one of the sovereign laws in the country because it is directly related to national security.

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