KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait’s Ministry of Social Affairs has directed cooperative societies and unions to identify senior employees and take the necessary procedures to terminate their services in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and decisions.
The ministry instructed the unions to notify the affected workers of their rights, including their entitlement to end their employment with full financial and work-related benefits.
According to reports in the local Aljarida newspaper, the directive relates to employees working in Kuwait’s cooperative sector and aims to regulate the employment system and support youth employment.
The union was directed to inform all cooperative societies and ensure that necessary steps are taken in accordance with the ministry’s directives. It was also instructed to submit a list of employees subject to the directive within 30 days.
The ministry emphasized that the directive supports workforce replacement policies and facilitates the creation of employment opportunities for qualified Kuwaiti workers.
It noted that the directive contributes to achieving the goals of Kuwait Vision 2035, Kuwait’s long-term development strategy, by promoting social affairs while supporting economic growth and development.
Cooperative societies play an essential role in Kuwait’s retail business and community service sector, employing thousands of workers.
The new directive requires societies to review their workforce and identify senior employees subject to the end-of-service in accordance with relevant regulations.
The directive also requires the Union of Cooperative Societies to oversee the implementation process and report accordingly to the authorities, including the submission of a list of terminated or contract-ended employees within the specified timeframe of 30 days.
Instructing unions to provide full financial and work-related benefits to the affected workers upon the completion of their service, the ministry also emphasized that the directive serves to promote youth employment while supporting economic development and social affairs.
The directive is part of the government’s broader strategy to support Kuwait Vision 2035 by creating more employment opportunities for young Kuwaiti workers.
Implementation of the directive will depend on the extent to which unions and societies adhere to the requirements stipulated in the new guidelines and notify the ministry of the relevant information within the specified timeframe of 30 days.