Bahraini.TV

Bahrain’s labour market :: Bridging the gulf

One country in the Gulf tries to wean itself off foreign workers
THE newly opened Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, is a monument to Dubai’s audacity. It is also a stark illustration of its dependence on foreign labour. Designed by an American, overseen by a New Zealander and built by mostly South Asian labourers, the [...]

4,500 job chances for graduates

A scheme to put thousands of jobless Bahraini graduates into work was officially launched yesterday.
Fifty-five per cent of those registered unemployed are university graduates, said Labour Minister Dr Majeed Al Alawi.
Most hold degrees in specialisations for which there is little or no demand in the labour market, he declared at an annual ceremony to honour [...]

New plea to tackle bias in workplace

A call to combat discrimination in the workplace went out yesterday from Bahrain’s top union leader.
Many workers are being denied opportunities or recognition, despite Bahrain’s laws against discrimination, said General Federation for Bahrain Trade Unions secretary-general Salman Al Mahfoodh.
“Bahrain is a country that is against discrimination, yet nothing is being done to support those who [...]

Worksite deaths spark safety call

Thirty-Eight workers were killed in worksite accidents in Bahrain last year, up two on 2008.
There were 62 serious injuries, compared to 66 in 2008, Labour Ministry occupational health and safety engineer and inspector Hussain Al Shami told the GDN.
Most deaths and injuries resulted from workers falling from buildings under construction, being hit by falling materials, [...]

Labour: Liberalised labour laws help country stand out from peers

When Bahrain abolished much of its expatriate sponsorship system this summer, the move sparked an avalanche of protests from the business community. Executives complained that the move would destroy their businesses and turn employees against them.
“They said there would be chaos in the market,” says Majeed al Alawi, the labour minister. “But cheap labour distorts [...]

New job switch law spurs hopes

The new law for the sponsorship system for expatriate workers comes into affect in Bahrain today.
Announced in May by Labour Minister and Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) chairman Dr Majeed Al Alawi, it allows foreign workers to switch jobs without their existing employer’s consent and will eliminate the free visa practice.
The move comes in an [...]

Sordid reality behind Dubai’s gilded facade

Construction halted, westerners jailed for adultery – but prostitutes do well

By Rod Liddle
Andrew Blair says he will pick me up from outside my sleaze-bucket of a hotel, give it 20 minutes or so, got some work to finish off. He has a job again, contracts apparently “coming out of his ears”, which is good, because [...]

Visa check an SMS away

Expatriates working in Bahrain are a text message away from being able to check their visa status following the launch of a new scheme.
The Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) has teamed up with local firm Mobile Information Services to offer the portal service, which will cost only 50 fils.
Batelco users can use the service by [...]

Dubai police chief calls to scrap sponsorship

Dubai’s police chief on Wednesday called for controversial labour laws that restrict the free movement of workers to be scrapped.
Lt Gen Dhahi Khalfan Tamim described the sponsorship system as a “burden” on the UAE’s economy and local population, UAE daily the National reported on its website.

“Employment contracts should be between companies and employees,” Tamim said [...]

Power in numbers

It was Bahrain’s largest strike in recent history. it was the day when several thousand workers from Al Hamad Contracting downed tools and demanded their wages.
There was a buzz of excitement around the Al Hamad labour camp on the outskirts of Bahrain’s industrial area of Askar. We were the first reporters to visit the camp [...]

Strike over as Al Hamad accepts worker demands

Thousands of striking workers for Al Hamad Contracting in Bahrain will return to work this morning after their demands for wages were met, according to sources within the company.
The workers, said to number between 5000 and 7000, yesterday called a mass strike claiming they had not been paid for two and a half months.
This morning [...]

Union raps ‘coercion’ of workers

BAHRAIN’S construction companies have been accused of waging a campaign to intimidate workers who join trade unions, according to a report issued yesterday.
The Belgium-based International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) said it was “very worried” about a series of violations revealed in the annual survey of union rights.
It found workers were discouraged from union activity [...]

Wildcat Strike

Thousands of workers at a major Bahrain construction company staged a wildcat strike over pay yesterday. More than 5,000 workers at Al Hamad Construction and Development Company claimed they had not been paid salaries ranging from BD60 to BD90 for two months.
They also accused the company of delaying repatriation of the bodies of their colleagues, [...]

Al Wefaq seeks delay in move to scrap Bahrain sponsorship system

Pressure is mounting on the labour minister to revoke or at least freeze a decision to scrap the sponsorship system that would allow foreign workers to switch jobs with the consent of employers.
Al Wefaq, Bahrain’s largest political society and parliamentary bloc, on Monday became the latest formation to ask Majeed Al Alawi to postpone the [...]

Laboured Reform

Bahrain is planning a major overhaul of the laws and conditions governing foreign labour, with proposed reforms giving greater protection to the rights of expatriate workers.
One of the central changes involves restructuring the visa system. Previously, foreign staff have had their permits to stay issued through their employers. The existing scheme has come under [...]