Muscat – Nabhan Ahmed al Battashi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Federation of Oman Workers (GFOW), received His Excellency Gilbert Houngbo, Director-General of the ILO, as part of his visit to Oman from December 14 to 19, 2025.
This visit took place within the framework of the strategic partnership between the GFOW and the ILO, with the aim of reviewing the GFOW’s experience and the trade union system in Oman, reaffirming its role in defending workers’ rights and safeguarding their interests, its effective contribution to achieving social justice, and strengthening efforts to improve legislation supporting trade union rights and freedoms, in a manner that paves the way for Oman to sign ILO conventions related to trade union rights and freedoms.
During the meeting, ways of enhancing the existing cooperation between the GFOW and the ILO were discussed, as well as developing future areas of partnership between the two sides, reflecting the level of progress in dialogue and partnership among the tripartite partners in Oman. The meeting also addressed legislative amendments, namely Labour Law and Social Protection Law, mechanisms for implementing the priorities and pillars contained in National Decent Work Programme in Oman, and joint activities with the ILO in this regard. In addition, the efforts of the GFOW to strengthen social dialogue among the tripartite partners in line with international labour standards were discussed.
The meeting included a presentation highlighting the trade union structures in Oman, the number of trade unions and sectoral unions and their distribution, as well as the most prominent activities, programmes, and awareness-raising campaigns recently implemented by the GFOW. It also covered women’s participation in trade union work, key legislative developments contained in Labour Law and Social Protection Law, the latest national legislation related to the protection of the rights of non-Omani workers, the GFOW’s main memberships in relevant national committees, its memberships in international labour organisations, and the most significant international cooperation programmes currently being implemented.
During the meeting, His Excellency Director-General of the ILO commended the efforts of the GFOW and the development of trade union roles, which are regarded as a leading model in the region, affirming his readiness to strengthen existing avenues of cooperation between the GFOW and the ILO in line with the requirements of the current stage
