ArchivesTag : rights
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 [...]
Workers protest
More than 250 workers at the Mohsin Haji Ali Group yesterday went on a strike, demanding better wages.They refused to leave for work as company transport arrived to fetch them from their accommodation in A’Ali, said sources.
“Later, they gathered in buses and went to the Indian Embassy in Adliya to lodge their protest at the [...]
Labourers call off march
A 30-kilometer protest march by almost 1,300 workers was called off yesterday when their bosses allegedly locked them inside their labour camp.
However, work on the $6 billion (BD2.26bn) Durrat Al Bahrain project was hit for the second day running as the men continued their strike.
Labourers of G P Zachariades downed tools on Saturday demanding better [...]
Expat tide ‘must be turned back’
Bahrain and other Gulf countries must address the level of expatriates in their countries, as they achieve more legal rights, says Labour Minister Dr Majeed Al Alawi.GCC countries will soon have to fall in line with scores of other countries and sign international treaties which give expatriate workers and their families equal rights to their [...]
Full StoryBusinessmen rap expat residency cap
Bahrain’s business community has strongly rejected the proposed six-year residence cap on expatriate workers in the Gulf.
The proposal, backed by Labour Minister Dr Majeed Al Alawi, is to be discussed at the 28th GCC summit scheduled to be held in Doha, Qatar, in December.
Under the proposal, expat workers could only be allowed to live in [...]
Six-year roll-over plan can backfire
Any country has the right to limit the number of immigrants or expatriate workers it lets in and how long they may be allowed to stay. But the strength of an expatriate workforce – setting aside those who enter or stay illegally – is governed by the host country’s need for certain skills or for [...]
Full StoryMinister’s six-year cap proposal rapped
The push for a six-year cap on expatriates working in the GCC was criticised as bad for employers and recruits alike in Bahrain yesterday.
They say the move, backed by Labour Minister Dr Majeed Al Alawi, could rob employers of seasoned staff.
It could also make coming here in the first place difficult, since many would not [...]
‘Back blogger in libel case’ call
Journalists, bloggers, writers and intellectuals are being urged to show up in support of Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif, as a libel case brought against him by Municipalities and Agriculture Minister Mansoor Bin Rajab gets underway today.
The Bahraini Journalists Association (BJA) says it is important for journalists to be present, to show solidarity with Mr [...]
US decision on Bay detainees welcomed
People are being urged to join a demonstration in front of UN House, Hoora, at 6pm on Saturday, calling for the immediate release of Bahrain’s three detainees at Guantanamo Bay,
It will also call for the closure of the prison camp, said National Release Campaign Committee spokesman Nasser Al Fadhala. He said that the event would [...]
شيخ دين مقاطع ومهندس عرائض من قلب قرية «قلالي»
«حــق» ليســت متشــددة
قلالي – فهيم عبدالله
يمثل وضعا غريبا بالنسبة إليه كرجل دين سني، إذ كان على رأس مجموعة معارضة جريئة إبان أيام أمن الدولة.
.. وكان ضمن مجموعة مهندسي العرائض التاريخية بدءاً من العريضة النخبوية في مطلع التسعينات والعريضة الشعبية بعدها بسنين، ومن ثم العريضة الأممية التي تجمع توقيعاتها حركة «حق» في هذه الأيام، يكاد [...]
Journalist bombarded with threats and abuse
The list of journalists who have received threats and abuse messages for their opinions has expanded.
It now includes columnist Saeed Al Hamad, according to Bahrain Journalists Association (BJA) Chairman Eisa Al Shaygi.
“Al Hamad has received over the weekend telephone calls and messages that doubted his integrity and insulted his character,” Al Shaygi, himself a victim [...]
Hospitals and malls out of bounds for Bahrain rallyists
Bahrain’s lower house has approved a new law that bans rallies near airports, hospitals and shopping malls, but allows them on the main avenues and near diplomatic missions.
Rallies are also banned in locations deemed security-sensitive by the Interior Minister, the Council of Representatives agreed on Tuesday afternoon following a heated debate over the merits of [...]
Suffering ‘caught on film’
An animal rights group claims it has photographic evidence of animal suffering taken at Bahrain’s only licensed salughterhouse, during an investigation conducted last December.
People for the Ethnic Treatment of Animals (PETA), who funded the study, told the GDN yesterday that investigators were refused permission to film inside the slaughterhouse in Sitra, but witnessed cruelty outside [...]
MPs seek ban on alcohol sale
MPs want alcohol sales banned in Bahrain, under proposed amendments made to the new consumer protection law in parliament yesterday.
They want violators who import, sell, or promote alcohol fined up to BD5,000 and/or jailed.
MPs voted to add the ban to the law following a request by MP Shaikh Ali Mattar, who said the consumer protection [...]
New push for a family law
A Bahrain women’s delegation visited Britain’s Parliament as part of a campaign to press for a family law to be passed in Bahrain.
Several members of the Council of Lords have expressed their solidarity with our cause and pledged to back us, said women petition chairperson Ghada Jamsheer.
A memo detailing alleged injustices inflicted on women at [...]
