Bahraini.TV

Hundreds of Bahrain companies are being taken to court by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) for not paying fees.

They are also being sued for failing to update their records on the LMRA system, our sister paper Akhbar Al Khaleej reports.

A statement from the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Committee said that it was being flooded by complaints from business owners about summonses from the Public Prosecution and the court, while others had received phone calls threatening them with legal action.

Committee member Nader Alawi said that the telephone calls had increased this week with the panel receiving 100 complaints up to yesterday.

He confirmed that small and medium enterprise owners have protested about their dramatically reduced revenues in light of the local market recession, which has in turn created a deficit in money available to cover their debts and obligations to different sectors – one being the LMRA.

The committee demanded that the summonses be looked into, since they have ‘angered’ the entire commercial sector and caused some firms to close.

The statement also urged His Majesty King Hamad to issue royal orders cancelling LMRA fees and fines, and stop all actions taken against businesses.

Akhbar Al Khaleej’s efforts to contact LMRA chief Ali Radhi until late last night proved futile. His mobile was apparently switched off as were those of other officials.