A new multilingual survey has been launched by a government agency to raise awareness about the rights and responsibilities of both employers and employees, and promote justice, equality and stability in the workplace.
Titled ‘Working Together’, the study is being spearheaded by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) in partnership with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
Available on lmra.gov.bh in English, Arabic, Bangla, Hindi, Malayalam, Urdu, Nepali and Amharic (an Ethiopian Semitic language), the exercise aims to gather feedback from employers, expatriates in the private sector and recruitment agencies.
Scan the QR code to take part in the survey
Participants will be asked about their rights including probation period, end-of-service indemnity, contractual obligations, among other topics.
For the first time the survey covers the rights of employers of domestic workers as they will be asked about the primary reason for hiring a domestic worker, whether they have read the tripartite employee contract, signed up for the optional insurance system and their opinion whether the worker should have access to a telephone and social media.
Similarly, a separate questionnaire is listed only for domestic workers asking them what type of work they do – whether childcare, elderly care, cleaning or cooking – and if they are aware of the national hotline for combatting human trafficking (995).
Domestic workers who take the survey are also asked about the places they often visit outside the household, how often they receive their salary and whether they have their passport or smart cards with them.
“The initiative is part of Bahrain’s ongoing commitment to sustaining an organised labour market that safeguards the rights of all parties involved,” said an LMRA statement yesterday.
“Recognising that a stable and fair work environment is key to boosting productivity and achieving mutual satisfaction among employers and workers, ‘Working Together’ seeks to contribute positively to the kingdom’s prosperity.”
Activities under the initiative will include various awareness-raising events designed to educate participants on the kingdom’s procedures that aim to improve the work environment for everyone involved.
The initiative will also seek to inform the targeted audience about regulations and laws relevant to the labour market.
“The initiative reflects Bahrain’s dedication to enhancing awareness of the rights and duties of all stakeholders to foster a well-organised and safe labour market that promotes social and economic development,” said LMRA chief executive Nibras Talib.
IOM’s ad interim chief of mission in Bahrain Erika Broers said the new initiative “will mark another important milestone in the kingdom’s journey of pioneering initiatives to strengthen the protection of expatriate workers”.
“It supports Bahrain’s approach to combat trafficking in persons and will contribute to raising the public’s awareness by adopting a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach,” added Ms Broers.
The LMRA will use its digital platforms to make the survey available to a wider section of the workforce.
&uuid=(email))