Qatar delays launch of Wage Protection System until November
Qatar has postponed the launch of the mandatory online wage payment system for low-income private sector workers to November 2, The Peninsula reports.
The Wage Protection System (WPS) was scheduled to be launched today as the six-month period allowed to private companies on February 18 ended yesterday.
However, the government decided yesterday to put off the launch until November 2 as some companies were not ready yet to be part of the WPS. So they have been allowed more time to comply.
Several Qatar residents were anticipating the launch today and expressed their views on Twitter.
My thoughts on looming deadline for #Qatar's wage protection scheme - a start but much more needed esp kafala reform http://t.co/nZLCXkcoKD
— Mustafa Qadri (@Mustafa_Qadri) August 17, 2015@AhmedH_93 @TomDanicek Also, Wage Protection System is in place in UAE since 2009, only now started being implemented in Qatar.
— Wael Jabir (@waeljabir) May 30, 2015More than 50,000 private companies are to be part of the WPS whereby all of their workers are to be mandatorily paid their wages through banking channels.
Banking industry sources told Al Sharq that the banks had already completed the preparations, both administrative and technical, to be part of the WPS.
"We have all the necessary technical abilities as well the equipment and manpower in place to deal with the online workers' salary payment system under the WPS," a banking industry source told the daily.
There could also be initial problems arising from uneducated workers using the ATMs.
Employees of many neighbourhood stores could also face problems in withdrawing money if they don't find an ATM of their bank in the vicinity.
Banks have been asked by the regulator, Qatar Central Bank (QCB), to open salary accounts for all the workers who are to be beneficiaries of the WPS.
Banks must open the accounts for workers regardless of the amount of their salaries. "No bank has the right to reject the request of a worker to open a bank account for salary transfer," a source said, quoting the QCB directive to the banking industry.
Rejection of a bank account opening request by any worker would make a bank liable to punishment under Article 216 of the QCB Law.
Banks flouting this rule are also liable to be fined. The QCB has also asked banks to allow WPS-beneficiary workers to withdraw their salaries from their accounts at least five times a month free of charge.
Service charges can be levied only after five withdrawals have been made by a worker from his bank account in a month. [The Peninsula]
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six months not enough?i can do it in 1 week or less. they just don't have a heart
I wont be surprised even it doesn't come into effect from November 2015.
Not surprised at all , that's the trend in Qatar. Nothing starts as scheduled or never starts.Very Unprofessional as always
as expected.
How much time required for company to submit details....?