Kuwait City // A walkout by thousands of Kuwaiti oil workers entered its second day on Monday, slashing production by over 60 per cent as the government looks abroad to recruit foreign employees.
“To all workers in the oil sector ... the strike continues,” the Kuwait oil workers union said on Twitter.
Kuwait’s crude production dropped from 3 million barrels per day to 1.1 million bpd, and refining output dived to 520,000 bpd from 930,000 bpd before the strike began.
Spokesman for Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) Khaled Al Assoussi said on Monday that Kuwait was still exporting crude oil and refined products.
He said that three refineries were operating in accordance with an emergency plan at 55 per cent of their capacity.
The cabinet on Sunday said the strike was illegal and called for legal action against the workers union.
Thousands of Kuwaiti oil and gas workers are striking to protest against a government plan for public sector pay reforms, although non-Kuwaiti workers in the industry are not on strike. Unions have not said how long the walkout will last.
The cabinet also ordered national oil conglomerate Kuwait Petroleum Corp (KPC) to recruit manpower from outside the Gulf state to operate some of its oil facilities.
The workers union described the strike as “very successful”. They are protesting against plans by the government to cut incentives, benefits and wages for current and new workers following the sharp drop in oil revenues.
Ahead of the strike, the workers rejected a pledge by acting oil minister Anas Al Saleh and KPC to suspend all austerity measures targeting employees and to start fresh talks.
Kuwait is introducing a new payroll scheme for all public employees and wants to include the country’s 20,000 oil workers, which would mean an automatic cut in wages and incentives.
KPC said on Sunday that reserves of gasoline and petrol derivatives were “enough to meet the country’s demands for 25 days and strategic reserves could suffice for 31 more days”.
The union is also protesting against plans to privatise parts of the oil sector.
* Agence France-Presse and Reuters
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Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
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The Bio
Ram Buxani earned a salary of 125 rupees per month in 1959
Indian currency was then legal tender in the Trucial States.
He received the wages plus food, accommodation, a haircut and cinema ticket twice a month and actuals for shaving and laundry expenses
Buxani followed in his father’s footsteps when he applied for a job overseas
His father Jivat Ram worked in general merchandize store in Gibraltar and the Canary Islands in the early 1930s
Buxani grew the UAE business over several sectors from retail to financial services but is attached to the original textile business
He talks in detail about natural fibres, the texture of cloth, mirrorwork and embroidery
Buxani lives by a simple philosophy – do good to all