MPS would like the government and private sector companies to enforce a 50 per cent remote working policy to help lower a spike in Covid-19 cases.
They unanimously approved an urgent proposal during their weekly session yesterday.
“People are scared and want to protect themselves from Covid-19, Omicron or any other variant that has surfaced in the country,” said MP Hamad Al Kooheji.
“It is not like employers would tell people to sit at home and do nothing, it is work in a different way.
“When people are not afraid, they are more productive. This is clearly indicated by research statistics over the past two years as more people have started working online.
“Since many students are sitting at home taking remote classes, having their parents with them would certainly be helpful too.”
In another approved urgent proposal, MPs also called for undertakers and embalmers to be presented with the Prince Salman Bin Hamad Medal for Medical Merit and cash awards for their contributions during the pandemic.
Parliament has also approved another urgent proposal to conduct repairs on the Al Mehzaa Grand Mosque in the old Manama Suq.
They also approved an urgent proposal to cancel a decision to terminate applications at the Housing Ministry that are more than 15 years old.
All four proposals will be now urgently reviewed by the Cabinet.
Earlier in the day, Labour and Social Development Minister Jameel Humaidan told MPs after they confronted him over unemployment levels in the country that the ministry had cleared 31,913 individuals from its jobless lists.
“A total of 26,344 have found jobs, while 5,569 have been dropped for other reasons - either they found jobs themselves, returned to study or opened businesses,” said the minister.
He said unemployment figures numbered around 17,000 at the end of last year and work was in progress to find a solution to their job searches.
Mr Humaidan also replied to a question on runaway housemaids. Parliament public utilities and environment affairs committee chairman Khalid Bu Onk then confronted Parliament and Shura Council Affairs Minister Ghanim Al Buainain, who is politically responsible for the Civil Service Commission, alleging that some advisers were being paid more than BD13,000 a month. It followed a written reply from Mr Al Buainain that 270 advisers were employed by ministries and government bodies, including 75 expatriates.
The minister refused to further elaborate on the wage structures of advisers, saying his written response was enough.
Meanwhile, MPs rejected amendments to the 1996 Public Roads Occupancy Law that would introduce a BD500 fine on unauthorised usage of roads.
However, they approved amendments to the 1996 Electricity and Water Law on illegal and faulty connections and referred it to the Cabinet to draft as proper legislation.
MPs approved issuing two statements on the BDF anniversary and Arab Women’s Day.
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