Gulf | Oman
Strike paralyses work at Omani courts
Striking employees demand better wages as well as independent judiciary
- Staff Report
- Published: 17:05 February 17, 2013
Muscat: Employees at several courts across Oman went on indefinite strike from Saturday, demanding full implementation of Royal Decree No 10 \ 2012 that gives complete independence to the judiciary in the country.
The striking employees are also demanding better salaries and application of all labour laws for court employees.
Work came to a complete standstill at courts in Muscat, Sohar, Bidiya, Ibri and Adam when employees refused to do any work in support of the employees’ strike, according to a report in popular Arabic news portal Al Balad on Saturday.
Turki Al Maamari, a lawyer at the Seeb Court, told the Omani news portal that staff refused to work and said that the strike would continue until their demands were met.The striking employees are also demanding that the judiciary in the country be independent from the rest of the authorities.
Ahmad Al Hajiri, a lawyer at the Bidiya court, told Al Balad that the strike will not end merely on promises but all the demands will have to be met in reality, especially demands for better pay.
Dr Hamad Al Rubaie, a lawyer at Ibri, said that the striking employees have so far allowed work only for emergency cases and some procedural routines.
