EMPLOYMENT challenges faced by migrant workers during the Covid-19 crisis are to be highlighted in a new survey.
The General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions (GFBTU) launched the study yesterday in English targeting the country’s expat workforce, who continue to be badly hit by the pandemic.
The survey questions respondents on whether their employer forced them to work without paying overtime, threatened to terminate their contract, cancelled their visa, or harassed them.
“One of the trends we noticed recently with a resumption of flights is that when an expat, who did not receive his salary, requests to travel abroad, the employer asks him to sign a document stating there are no pending dues owed by the company,” claimed GFBTU deputy secretary general Hassan Al Halwachi.
“Migrant workers are among the worst affected by Covid-19 and still have to pay high utility bills and rents.”
The union leader also claimed that the majority of expat workers in the hospitality sector, including massage and spa specialists, had not received their salaries since April.
He said the union was hoping to collect feedback from 1,000 expats of different nationalities, on a range of issues.
They will be asked if they can afford the cost of living in Bahrain as well as the support they would prefer, be it help with utility bills, food, medical treatment or airfare to return to their home countries.
It is also the first survey launched this year that questions whether an expat has been terminated due to Covid-19, whether they are able to stay in decent accommodation and maintain a safe distance on company transport.
“We have combined a list of questions that relates to most of the problems expatriates continue to face during the pandemic,” added Mr Halwachi.
The GDN reported in April that GFBTU proposed a series of recommendations for expatriates to offset the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak. It included temporary financial assistance in terms of deferral of loans, school fees and rents.
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