Muscat – The Ministry of Labour has issued a circular granting eligible employees and workers a two-hour daily reduction in working hours without any loss of salary or wages, covering people with moderate or severe disabilities and those responsible for caring for them in both the government and private sectors.

The measure aims to strengthen the rights of people with disabilities, promote their inclusion in the workplace and accommodate their individual needs and circumstances, while supporting employment stability and social well-being.

Dawood bin Sulaiman Al Hinai, Director of the Legal Department at the Ministry of Labour, said the provision covers two categories. The first includes employees and workers with moderate or severe disabilities, while the second covers employees and workers responsible for caring for a person with a moderate or severe disability.

He explained that to qualify under the second category, the person with a disability must be the employee or worker’s parent, son, daughter or spouse.

Al Hinai said applicants must submit the required official documents to their employer to benefit from the reduced working hours.

Employees and workers with disabilities must present a disability card issued by the Ministry of Social Development confirming that their disability falls within the moderate or severe categories.

Those responsible for caring for a person with a disability must submit a certificate issued by the Ministry of Social Development confirming the degree or level of disability.

The circular also sets out safeguards to regulate eligibility and prevent more than one person from claiming the benefit in respect of the same individual.

Under the rules, the reduction cannot be granted to more than one employee or worker responsible for caring for the same person with a disability, even if the caregivers work for different employers.

Similarly, a caregiver cannot benefit from the reduction if the person with a disability is employed or working and already receives the reduced working hours provided for under the measure.

Al Hinai said the regulations were intended to ensure that the benefit reaches those entitled to it, while taking into account the nature of the disability, the needs of the person concerned and the family circumstances of caregivers.

The measure forms part of the ministry’s wider efforts to create an inclusive working environment, uphold the principle of equal opportunities and provide the necessary support to enable people with disabilities to participate actively in the labour market, it stated.