There are few trade unions in Oman, established following a 2006 Decree by the Sultan of Oman permitting their organization. Some of these, have done completed elections, they are members of the General Federation of Oman Trade Union (GFOTU). Oman has become the third Gulf Arab state, after

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

and

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

, to have a general federation of trade unions."Oman politics: Unionised." EIU. http://www.zawya.com/printstory.cfm?storyid=EIU20100401230354125&l=164500100309 The

International Trade Union Confederation The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC); german: Internationaler Gewerkschaftsbund (IGB), link=no; es, Confederación Sindical Internacional (CSI), link=no. is the world's largest trade union federation. History The federation w ...

's (ITUC) Annual Survey on Trade Union Rights Violations for 2009 reported serious problems for large parts of the country’s workforce, especially migrant workers in construction and in domestic work. Oman joined the

International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...

in 1991 but has not ratified half the ILO's core labour standards conventions including No. 87, Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 or No. 98

Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 The Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention (1949No 98is an International Labour Organization Convention. It is one of eight ILO fundamental conventions. Its counterpart on the general principle of freedom of association is th ...

. For many years, trade unions were illegal in Oman. Until 2006, the

World Federation of Trade Unions The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international federation of trade unions established in 1945. Founded in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, the organization built on the pre-war legacy of the International Federation o ...

recognized one exile organization, the National Committee of Omani Workers.

References

See also