For workers who rely on their monthly salaries to pay rent, meet household expenses and support families back home, going without wages for months can mean mounting debts and growing uncertainty. Kuwait is stepping up action against employers who fail to pay salaries, with First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah warning that labour violations will no longer be tolerated and that the law will apply equally to all.

Authorities are examining the files of around 10,000 companies over unpaid wages. In some cases, workers reportedly went as long as 18 months without receiving their salaries. In response, the government is suspending company files, checking salary payments more closely and taking steps to hold employers accountable across the private sector.

Speaking at a meeting with company owners and representatives of the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM), Sheikh Fahad stressed that employers must fulfil their obligations to workers, regardless of nationality or the ownership of the business. He warned that companies found violating the rules could face the suspension of all related files and licences, rather than action being limited to the specific file in which the violation occurred.

The minister also raised concerns about questionable company arrangements, the misuse of commercial licences and suspected money laundering. Citing cases discussed during the meeting, he said 70 million dinars had circulated through three companies, one of which operated under a restaurant licence with only one registered employee. He also highlighted a case in which a Kuwaiti citizen was officially registered as earning 3,000 dinars a month but reportedly received only 180 dinars.

Such practices, he warned, could expose workers and citizens to exploitation while damaging Kuwait’s international standing and raising concerns over financial transparency.