THE Shura Council will on Sunday revote on a new rule that would oblige expatriate runaway workers to buy their own tickets back home or have their relatives pay for their repatriation if they die in Bahrain.
Under further amendments recommended by the chamber’s services committee, the cost of return will be shouldered by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) should the worker be found not to have money.
Loopholes
This procedure will be handled by the Interior Ministry.
In case of death, if the family doesn’t want to, or cannot, claim the body the last rites on it will be performed according to stipulations stated in the 2018 Public Health Law.
Last month, the chamber had unanimously voted in favour of amendments to the 2006 Labour Market Regulatory Law.
However, five members urged the matter to be re-examined, saying there were loopholes related to shouldering the costs should the worker or his family be incapable of providing sufficient funds.
Shura human rights committee chairman Ahmed Al Haddad said the repatriation costs could be recovered by way of monthly cuts or as a deposit while entering Bahrain.
“This could be introduced by the LMRA within executive bylaws,” he said.
“We have to bear in mind that those poor labourers, even those who violate the law, earn an average of between BD120 and BD150 per month, while the cost of return tickets or repatriation are expensive.
“The current system is unfair to the employers who are being forced to pay for a violating employee, while Parliament’s amendments didn’t give options for deportation or repatriation in case the costs are not met or shouldered.”
Shura Council member and former Parliament first vice-chairman Ali Al Aradi said last month that Parliament’s amendments constituted no violations and would not harm Bahrain’s status in the first tier of the International Labour Organisation.
Parliament and Shura Council Affairs Minister Ghanim Al Buainain had then said that a new comprehensive look at the whole law was necessary with the government being solely concerned with what the amendments may lead to.
The Shura Council is also set to vote on giving civil servants an automatic annual pay rise.
However, the services committee has further amended Parliament’s three per cent annual increase to the pay to an automatic promotion to the next step without it passing the job designation.
Under existing regulations, pay rises are given according to special assessment under rules and regulations of the Civil Service Bureau.
According to the latest statistics, there are 46,000 civil servants in the country.
mohammed@gdn.com.bh
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