Move part of Kuwaitization plans • Aviation authority issues ultimatum to airline

KUWAIT: Work contracts of 3,140 non-Kuwaitis serving in the public sector have been cancelled, Chairman of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) Ahmad Al-Jassar said yesterday.

These contracts have been invalidated according to a CSC resolution with respect to personnel proportions stipulated for the 2017-2018 period, as part of the state’s policy of replacing expatriates with nationals in the government sector.

The dismissed personnel served in various ministries, government departments and bodies of independent budgets, he said in a statement to Kuwait News Agency. Jassar affirmed that these workers have been laid off in line with the state’s policy of Kuwaitizing jobs in the sector, as stipulated by CSC decision 11/2017, which exempted jobs in the medical and health sectors.

The number of non-Kuwaiti civil servants subject to the commission’s resolution amount to 44,572, including the dismissed ones. They serve in 46 government sectors, including 25,948 in teaching and training, 6,474 in services, 3,537 in law and Islamic affairs, 2,876 in engineering and 1,539 in social and educational services as well as sports.

Moreover, 1,221 perform financial, economic and commercial jobs, 1,130 are in the sector of administrative backup, 483 in information systems and technology, 377 in manual works, 308 in literature, media and public relations, 221 in forensics, 205 in agriculture and livestock, 212 in sciences, 37 in administrative development and statistics and five in marine tasks.

Separately, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) yesterday issued an ultimatum to Wataniya Airways to resolve problems such as recurring flight delays and cancellations.

The DGCA warned in a statement that in case the company failed to fulfill its duties properly, its permit would be suspended effective Sept 6 for three months as an initial penalty, while compelling it to fulfill its financial and legal liabilities toward passengers.

If Wataniya Airways fails again to tackle these problems, it will be stripped of the license permanently. The directorate said several warnings had been given to the company to no avail.

It assured passengers that it would do its best to ensure their safety and rights, vowing to follow up on Wataniya’s commitment to secure their return, either on its aircraft or planes of other companies. — KUNA