Doha: Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani yesterday issued Law No. 15 of 2016 on human resources, governing Qatari and non-Qatari employees of ministries, government departments and public institutions.
Judges and their assistants, attorney general and his assistants, employees of Emiri Diwan, diplomats and counselors, university teaching staff, QP employees, Qatar Investment Authority employees, and Audit Bureau employees do not come under the purview of the law.
All entities covered by the law are required to provide the Ministry of Administrative Planning, Labour and Social Affairs with all necessary data about their human resource requirements, and the internal regulation they develop for their works. As per the law, no appointment is allowed unless there is a vacancy and without announcing the position.
Appointment should be based on efficiency and after announcing the position. However, these conditions can be bypassed with approval from the authorities concerned.
Appointments can be through Emiri decision or decree, decision of the authorities concerned or based on work contracts, special employment contracts or temporary contracts. Government bodies are permitted to employ staff on a part-time basis.
All government bodies must give priority to Qataris in appointments. If Qatari citizens are not available, the next priority in order is sons of Qatari women, husbands of Qatari women, GCC citizens, Arab nationals and finally nationals of other countries.
All employees must have three months trial period, renewable for a similar period starting from the date of appointment.
Non-Qatari employees can be appointed in government jobs in accordance with the specifications and public employment scales.
An employee can be reappointed in another position when he gets the required qualification, but it should be in a vacant position, not created for him, and not necessarily in the same ministry.
The law has allowed reappointment at the end of service in another ministry or in the same ministry.
It is not allowed to delay regular allowances or to deny an allowance unless it is for disciplinary reasons.
The government is responsible for providing air tickets to Qatari and non-Qatari employees for official trips.
The period an employee spend in training is considered part of the work period.
The employee’s performance must be assessed on an annual basis.
An employee can be promoted only to the next higher level and only if a vacant position is available.
It is not allowed to transfer employees unless there is a vacant position at the same level and with the same conditions and this should not lead to denying his privileges.
Employees have the right to take annual leave with full salary- 45 days for those who are at level 7 and above, 40 days for those at level 8 to 10, and 30 days in other levels.
If the official holidays come in between an employee’s annual leave, they must be added to his leave.
Employees' services can be terminated for one of the following reasons: retirement age, end of contract, resignation, becoming medically unfit or termination by a disciplinary decision.
Government employees are entitled to end of service benefits equal to one month basic salary each year for the first five years, month- and- a -half basic salary for each year in next five years and two months basic salary for each year for the remaining years.
The law is effective starting from the following day of its date of publication in the official gazette.
The State Cabinet will issue the executive regulations for the law.
