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Middle East Edition
25th November 2022
 
THE HOT STORY
EU lawmakers want FIFA to help Qatar workers’ families
The European Parliament has passed a resolution calling on FIFA to help compensate the families of workers who died in Qatar during preparations for the World Cup. Measures put in place by the Qatari government were not sufficient, said the lawmakers, who also urged the Qatari authorities to conduct a full investigation into human rights abuses in the run-up to the competition.
WORKFORCE
Amazon faces Black Friday protests in 40 countries
Thousands of Amazon warehouse workers in about 40 countries are planning to take part in protests and walkouts to coincide with Black Friday sales. Workers in the US, UK, India, Japan, Australia, South Africa and across Europe want better wages and working conditions as the cost-of-living crisis deepens. A campaign called “Make Amazon Pay” is being coordinated by an international coalition of trade unions alongside other civil society groups. “It’s time for the tech giant to cease their awful, unsafe practices immediately, respect the law and negotiate with the workers who want to make their jobs better,” said Christy Hoffman, general secretary for UNI Global Union, one of the campaign’s organisers. “While we are not perfect in any area, if you objectively look at what Amazon is doing on these important matters you’ll see that we do take our role and our impact very seriously,” Amazon spokesman David Nieberg said.
TECHNOLOGY
Alfii wants to help overwhelmed HR teams
Dubai-based tech start-up Alfii has launched a new software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform for end-to-end human resource (HR) workflow automation for local start-ups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Alfii, which means millennial in Arabic, wants to help employers take better care of their people by freeing HR teams from time-consuming administrative work. “For companies to remain competitive today, they need to be laser-focused on providing a better employee experience, which is only possible if HR teams are freed from the overwhelm of administrative tasks,” said Alfii CEO Yousef Albarqawi, who added “But most of them are still relying on outdated, non-digitised or highly fragmented systems to manage people's operations. With Alfii, HR owners will be able to manage all employee data through one holistic solution.”
CORPORATE
Dubai's Averda considers stake sale
Dubai-based Averda International, which provides waste management services to public and private sector clients, covering around 12 million residents across eight countries in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, is planning to sell a stake in the business, according to sources familiar with the matter who added the company is working with Moelis to arrange the transaction. Averda was in talks to go public through a merger with blank-check firm Better World Acquisition Corp earlier this year, which were abandoned. Reuters notes that waste management is a key focus of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government which has said it aims to cut the adverse environmental impact of cities by focusing on air quality and municipal and other waste management.
Twitter’s Brussels office empty
Twitter’s Brussels team has been completely disbanded, The Guardian reports, leading the paper to raise concerns about the company’s ability to enforce new EU rules intended to rein in the power of big tech and restrict hate speech. But a European Commission spokesperson said officials have many contacts with Twitter in Dublin, where the social media company has its European headquarters.
LEGAL
Majlis Ash'shura members briefed about Labour Law
Oman’s Majlis Ash'shura has briefed its members about the Labour Law forwarded by the government to the council. The briefing took place during the council’s third session of the 4th annual convening (9th Term), headed by Khalid Hilal al Maawali, chairman of the Shura Council. The session covered other topics, including the biometric prints law.
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
European Space Agency selects its first ‘parastronaut’
Saudi Gazette reports that the European Space Agency (ESA) has selected its first astronaut with a disability.  John McFall, a 41-year-old from the UK who lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident when he was 19 and went on to compete in the Paralympics, described his selection at Europe’s answer to NASA as “a real turning point and mark in history.” He said: “ESA has a commitment to send an astronaut with a physical disability into space . . . This is the first time a space agency has endeavoured to embark on a project like this. And it sends a really, really strong message to humanity.” He joins five career astronauts in the final selection announced during a Paris news conference on Wednesday — the conclusion of the ESA’s first recruitment drive in over a decade aimed at bringing diversity to space travel.
INTERNATIONAL
Deutsche Bank sued for $150m by exonerated trader
A former Deutsche Bank trader whose conviction for rigging the London interbank offered rate (Libor) benchmark was overturned has sued the German lender for $150m. Matthew Connolly says the bank framed him to protect top executives who directed manipulation of Libor, accusing it of "malicious prosecution" for making materially false statements to the U.S. Department of Justice, and directing an employee to perjure himself at trial. Connolly said Deutsche Bank believed he was the "perfect fall guy" though he had "virtually nothing to do" with Libor. Deutsche Bank's scapegoating ruined Connolly’s reputation and career and caused the "destruction of his life," the complaint said. The bank said in a statement: "We will vigorously defend ourselves against these claims."
Telecom Italia to close offices on Fridays
Telecom Italia is from next February to close its offices across Italy on Fridays as part of a year-long deal with unions to expand home working, reduce energy costs and improve employees' work-life balance. The former phone monopoly, which is one of Italy’s biggest private employers, said it would increase the weekly days of home working that staff can take to three from two for around three-quarters of its current 42,000 domestic workforce. The plan "will enable employees to better plan their activities outside of work . . . and to achieve energy efficiency and cut carbon emissions," the company said.  The deal does not envisage any contribution for workers' home energy bills.
French government wants better incentives to encourage return to work
Joblessness in France fell to a 14-year low of 7.3% in the third quarter, but there are still 2.3 million unemployed people even though many companies are struggling to find staff. President Emmanuel Macron's government wants stronger incentives to get people to look for work by adjusting benefits according to the strength of the job market. Benefits that unemployed people receive would be reduced by a quarter when the job market is buoyant, with exceptions for some occupations. Labour Minister Olivier Dussopt said: "This reform has one objective - full employment and responding to companies' recruitment difficulties." Labour unions say the reform will hurt workers with the lowest level of skills the hardest.
Protest at Chinese iPhone factory
Footage widely circulated online shows protests erupting at the world's biggest iPhone factory in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou. Videos show hundreds of workers marching, with some confronted by people in hazmat suits and riot police. Last month Covid cases saw manufacturer Foxconn lock down the site, prompting some workers to break out and go home. The company then recruited new workers with the promise of generous bonuses. Foxconn has not yet commented on the latest disturbances.
 


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