On 25 July 2023, Oman announced a new labour law for workers in the private sector…introducing new regulations on labour strikes, permission for migrant workers involved in labour disputes to remain in the country, and other significant changes…

Local media and government officials have lauded the new labour law….However, while the new law does introduce some significant improvements to working conditions, it retains provisions that are inconsistent with ILO conventions, and does not fully consider the rights of migrant workers…

….enforcement in Oman remains weak, particularly where migrants are concerned. For instance, while Oman is the only Gulf nation that mandates a two-day weekly break for workers, many low-income migrant workers still find themselves toiling six days a week with just a single day off and are not always compensated with overtime payments.

…the condition of migrant workers in Oman…is marked by hyper-dependency and a subordinate relationship with their employers…The Kafala system plays a pivotal role in generating specific vulnerabilities within the living and working conditions of migrant workers…Considering that the majority of workers affected by the new labour law are migrant workers, it is important to reform the immigration system…