The aim of this research is to investigate the implications of unfair dismissal within the boundaries of Omani labour law with particular relevance to the role of Shari’a. Shari’a itself does not provide a legal code, contract law, or a law of tort as yet but it does provide examples of applicable rules, supported with analogies, to deal with employment. The basic principles of forming a contract in Omani Commercial Law; English Law and Shari’a are similar; however, they differ in application. Likewise, the principles of the employment contract are similar with a few differences being seen in implementation; specifically with regards to unfair dismissal issues. This research used a qualitative approach that has enabled the generation and analysis of data from multiple sources including literature review, semi-structured interviews, court cases, Shari’a implied employment contract principles as found in the Qur’an, the Sunnah and relevant Islamic texts. The research shows that the main reasons for employee dismissal can be categorised into: poor performance, disobedience regarding the contractual rules and regulations, absenteeism, aggressive behaviour and an extreme critical attitude in the work-place. From the employee’s perspective, the main reasons for filing cases at Oman Courts were to seek justice, to obtain fair compensation or to highlight the moral values that form the Islamic code of practice. In contrast the employers considered seeking financial gain and revenge as the motivating factors for employees for filing court cases. There obviously is a mismatch to the reasons by each side and the key findings from this research suggest that there is a modest impact of the legal aspects of Shari’a on the Omani Law of Contract and the Employment Law though it is normally conceived by the public that Shari’a is the fundamental law that governs all aspects of muslim life. There needs to be an overwhelming expectation and requirement to develop procedures in the Omani Employment Law that expedite the process of dealing with dismissal cases and the propositions of establishing an arbitration committee may seem to be a way forward. In addition, the establishment of a Labour Court is paramount as at present the employment cases are heard in the Commercial Courts. This will align with the approach taken in the English system where the Employment Tribunals and the Employment Appeal Tribunal oversee cases and minimize delays in achieving justice. There is also a strong argument that there needs to be a review of Article 40/35/2003 that deals with employer rights to dismiss the worker without prior notice in order to establish a solid foundation for justice in the Sultanate of Oman. Unfair dismissal is a phenomenon that impacts on the employee, the employer, the employee’s wider family network and society. This study provides an in-depth understanding and insight into these impacts and into the capacity of Shari’a impact to address modern employment issues in relation to the labour laws and secular laws being used in Oman today.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:573572 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Al Kiyumi, Fawzi Mubarak |
| Publisher | University of Bedfordshire |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://hdl.handle.net/10547/293775 |
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