New Labour Law Introduces Paternity Leave, Increases Maternity Leave, and Mandates Performance Appraisal System

Merge 104.8  |  26 July 2023

The new Labour Law was announced and under the new law:

• The number of sick leave days has been increase to 182 days
• Fathers will now be given a seven-day paternity leave
• The maternity leave for women has been increased to 98-days, and they will also be allowed to take a one year unpaid leave to care for their child and they get one hour a day, also for child care
• A 15-day caregiver leave was also introduced, for accompanying a patient
• Institutions with more than 25 female workers will be required to provide a designated place for resting
• Employers can allow their workers to temporarily work for another employer
• Employers can terminate the contract if a worker fails to achieve the required level of productivity, but only after notifying the worker, and giving them six months to rectify their work
• Employers can terminate the contract of non-Omanis if they find an Omani worker to replace their position
• Business owners are required to establish a performance appraisal system
• Employees must work for no more than eight hours per day, not including the one hour of rest