Kuwait: No pay for expats stuck abroad

Cairo: Kuwait’s foreign employees, who have been unable to return to the country due to travel restrictions, are to be treated as absent from work due to a compulsory reason and do not deserve pay, the Kuwaiti Civil Service Commission has said.

Earlier last month, Kuwait announced a ban on flights from 32 countries, citing health concerns. Some of the banned countries have large expatriate communities in Kuwait.

In response to a query from the Kuwaiti Education Ministry, the Civil Service Commission said that employees who left the country on regular holidays before March 12 and have been unable to return to Kuwait due to the flight ban are eligible to the holiday announced by the Kuwaiti government as part of measures to contain the spread of the new coronavirus and as such deserve to be paid during the government-sanctioned holiday.

Kuwait has recently eased virus-related restrictions, allowing government employees to return to work.

According to the commission, if the employees remain unable to return to Kuwait due to travel curbs, he/she has the right to request a holiday depending on their balance, including an unpaid leave for a maximum of 15 days. The holiday request can be made by phone or any other means.

Pay-for-work rule

“In case, the employee does not qualify for any type of holiday, the employee is considered an absent from work due to a compulsory excuse and does not deserve to get the salary based on the pay-for-work rule,” the commission said, according to Al Qabas newspaper.

As for teachers who are still stranded abroad, the commission said they can apply for a 15-day unpaid leave by phone or any other means. Like government employees in other sectors, if they do not qualify for any type of holiday, those teachers will be considered absent from work for a compulsory reason and are not eligible to be paid.

The new school year in Kuwait started on Tuesday.