Bahraini.TV

Open trucks ban ‘to cost BD1bn’

by mahmood on 17/04/08 at 12:58 pm

A ban on using lorries, trucks and other unsafe vehicles to transport workers could cost the construction industry BD1 billion, it was claimed yesterday. Firms have time until the end of the year to replace their makeshift transport with proper air-conditioned buses.

However, Bahrain Contractors’ Society president Nedham Kameshki said the move would have major implications for the construction sector.

“There are more than 10,000 contractors who have commercial registrations,” he told the GDN.

“The big contractors have to buy 30 to 40 buses each and the small contractor at least one.

“At an average of five buses per contractor, the decision will force about 50,000 buses onto Bahrain’s already congested roads during peak hours.”

Mr Kameshki claimed there was no need for the new rule, saying the maximum transporting time in Bahrain was about 20 minutes.

“Buses are good for people who work in offices,” he added.

“For the workers who sweat heavily at worksites, we do not think the air-conditioned buses are a healthy method of transport.”

However, the rule will come into force on January 1 after it was approved by the Cabinet on Sunday.

It has been introduced on the recommendation of Labour Minister Dr Majeed Al Alawi and Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa.

“I shall issue a decree on this next week,” Dr Al Alawi told the GDN.

“Under the decree, companies should transport workers to and from their workplaces only on buses.

“Transporting workers in trucks, whether it is open or closed, is degrading, inhuman and unsafe.”

Dr Al Alawi admitted the move was a major logistical exercise, but said it would improve the safety of workers.

“Any company which violates the government decision from January 1 will be severely dealt with. We shall soon work on the legal aspects of the decision.”

He also said companies should not think they were doing their workers a favour by providing proper buses and described it as a basic right.

“A dignified and safe way of transport is the right of the workers,” he said.

“The new decision is aimed at safeguarding and respecting workers’ rights and safety, especially during their journey to and from their workplaces.

“The decision reflects Bahrain’s reputation as a civilised society. We also want to show that Bahrain cares for its workers, both Bahrainis and expatriates.”

New rules governing workers’ transportation were drawn up by the Labour Ministry and the Interior Ministry’s General Directorate of Traffic.

However, they were met with loud objections from the business community when they were being drafted last year.

BCCI board member and contractors’ committee chairman Samir Nass said previously it was costly and impractical to transport all workers by buses to workplaces and back.

However, he was unavailable for comment yesterday.

Meanwhile, Indian Ambassador Balkrishna Shetty described the decision as a step in the right direction.

“Transporting workers in open trucks, both during the summer and the winter, causes a lot of discomfort to the workers,” he said.

“This is also unsafe. We warmly welcome the decision which will give a chance to the employers to treat their workers in a more dignified way.”

The new rules have been drawn up after several accidents involving open trucks carrying workers.

Three workers were killed and 21 injured in a two-truck crash two years ago.

The men who died were thrown out of the back of a six-wheel pick-up, which collided with a trailer lorry carrying heavy building materials.

In a similar incident, 28 construction workers were injured when they were hurled from the back of an open truck.

Both incidents sparked calls for tighter controls on workers’ safety by diplomats and human rights workers.