Intensified inspections against undocumented workers across Bahrain have helped regulate the labour market and protect vulnerable workers from abuse, according to a top official.
Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) chief executive Nouf Jamsheer said more than 2,000 illegal workers were deported during the first half of the year.
She also asserted that authorities were taking a series of well-planned initiatives to deal with labour violations and ensure a fair market for businesses, employers and workers.
In an exclusive interview with the GDN, Ms Jamsheer revealed the measures taken against residency violators and steps to combat human trafficking and protect expat workers’ rights.
“We conduct regular visits and inspection campaigns to commercial areas and shops to verify the status of establishments and their compliance with laws and regulations, including the employment of workers in accordance with their official contracts,” said Ms Jamsheer.
“The process of regulating the labour market is one of LMRA’s essential roles and it has been leading the efforts to maintain a balanced and fair labour market conducive for all parties.”
LMRA inspectors, alongside teams from several government entities, continue to visit different locations in the five governorates every day to verify the residency status of expatriate workers.
“We have been co-ordinating with concerned government agencies to deter illegal practices and unfair acts that may violate individuals’ rights,” said Ms Jamsheer, who explained that they also seek out vulnerable individuals and provide them a safe and legal route.
“We conducted 21,334 campaigns and inspection visits during the first half of this year, which resulted in the deportation of 2,112 illegal workers and 1,261 offences were recorded,” she said. “A total of 462 institutions were referred to the Public Prosecution for legal action on suspicion of forced labour and trafficking in persons.”
LMRA data for the first three months of this year revealed a 500 per cent increase in the number of workers deported from Bahrain – up from 182 individuals in the first quarter of last year to 1,093 in Q1 2023.
A total of 598 violations were registered in the first three months of this year – a rise of 182pc over the corresponding period last year. At least 209 irregular workers were registered during the same period, an increase of 309.9pc.
Ms Jamsheer stressed that a regulated and fair labour market ‘provides equal opportunity for all and is a magnet for investors, eventually leading to the progress of the national economy.
“Staying illegal or undocumented in the kingdom renders the individual vulnerable to abuse and forced labour might lead to (human) trafficking, which is why we try to reach out to as many irregular workers as possible, who are afraid to come out due to fear.”
Ms Jamsheer was appointed as the head of the government watchdog for a three-year term by a royal decree in July last year (2022).
She said the LMRA continues to work closely with embassies and diplomatic missions of labour-exporting countries to boost awareness and educate people on local labour reforms and laws.
“The LMRA conducted several interactive awareness sessions focusing on those embassies with the highest number of eligible workers to join the Labour Registration Programme and correct their legal status,” she said.
The Labour Registration Programme was launched last December to replace flexi work permits that allowed expatriates to self-sponsor and work with multiple employers. It covers workers residing in Bahrain or flexi permit holders, while those with criminal offences or other residency violations, including those overstaying on visit visas, are not allowed to register.
Registered workers, after paying the set fees, are issued a work permit card that includes a QR code with the updated data, including their occupation, validity of the permit, health insurance details etc.
Asked if the government will announce a general amnesty for illegal expat workers to leave the country without paying any fines, Ms Jamsheer said any such scheme or initiative, if decided in the future, would be shared with the Press.
“The government has offered several amnesties in recent years and a large number of undocumented workers availed the opportunity to return back to their home countries, but some stayed behind, which means they are a vulnerable category prone to exploitation,” she added.
A nine-month amnesty was announced in 2020 for thousands of irregular foreign workers to either legalise their stay or leave as part of measures to offset the impact of Covid-19.
Those with expired or terminated work permits were also covered under the government scheme
The move at the time aimed to target an estimated 55,000 illegal expatriates of different nationalities, known as ‘free-visa workers’.
Around 53,000 expats corrected their stay while 5,000 left the kingdom during the grace period.
According to ‘Bahrain’s Partnership and Contributions Report’ released last month by the Foreign Ministry, the kingdom’s population crossed 1.5 million last year and its expatriate population has risen by 8.7 per cent in the last seven years.
According to numbers from last year, Bahrain’s population now stands at 1.504m, of which 719,000 are Bahrainis and 785,000 expatriates.
sandy@gdnmedia.bh
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