MPs are preparing to debate legislation aimed at ending prolonged uncertainty for citizens working on temporary or part-time government contracts, with authorities required to act on their employment status after one year.
Parliament’s legislative and legal affairs committee chairman MP Dr Abdulhakim Al Sheno said the committee had recommended approval in principle of the bill, subject to amendments designed to regulate temporary employment and improve job security for Bahrainis.
The parliamentary proposal, drafted by the government, is scheduled for debate during Tuesday’s Parliament session and seeks to amend Article Seven of the 2010 Civil Service Law.
Dr Al Sheno said the committee’s proposed changes would require government authorities to take steps to regularise Bahraini citizens employed under temporary or part-time arrangements after one year.
“The revised wording retains the existing recruitment options of permanent, temporary, part-time and contract employment, while introducing a requirement to act on the status of citizens employed temporarily or part-time once a year has elapsed,” he said.
According to Dr Al Sheno, the original proposal sought to limit temporary or contract employment to one year and require workers to be made permanent after passing an assessment.
“However, the committee revised the wording, removing the assessment condition and replacing automatic confirmation with a requirement to take the necessary regularisation procedures,” he said.
The MP said the proposed legislation was intended to prevent temporary employment from continuing indefinitely and promote greater stability for Bahraini workers.
The bill nevertheless faces objections from the government, which has urged Parliament to reconsider it, arguing that the proposed changes could conflict with the Civil Service Law and existing rules governing vacancies, staffing ceilings and public-sector budgets.
The government maintains that recruitment must reflect the actual needs of government departments, approved organisational structures and available funding. It has warned that converting temporary employees into permanent staff could create additional financial obligations, affect the state budget and undermine the Fiscal Balance Programme.
The Civil Service Bureau has endorsed the government’s position.
The government has also argued that Bahraini employees working under temporary or contract arrangements are already covered by social insurance.
l Meanwhile, Bahraini employees working on temporary contracts at the Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture Ministry could be offered permanent positions under a proposal backed by the same committee.
Lead proposer MP Dr Ali Al Nuaimi said the move would provide job security for national employees who had spent years serving the ministry, while allowing the government to retain experienced Bahraini talent.
The proposal calls for all Bahraini employees on temporary contracts at the ministry to be made permanent, promoting job stability, productivity and equal opportunities based on merit and entitlement.
Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture Minister Wael Al Mubarak, responding on behalf of the ministry, said all its previous temporary-contract employees had already been made permanent.
However, he added, the remaining temporary positions are held by administrative co-ordinators assisting municipal councils and Capital Trustees Board members.
“These posts had been kept temporary since municipal councils began operating in 2002, following an arrangement that allowed each elected member to choose an administrative assistant suited to their needs from one municipal term to another,” he explained.
Mr Al Mubarak added that the ministry was working with the Civil Service Bureau and municipal councils to develop approved organisational structures that would replace temporary positions with permanent posts.
The Civil Service Bureau said permanent appointments depended on actual staffing requirements, approved vacancies, financial allocations and compliance with established job descriptions and recruitment rules.
“Temporary employment is permitted under civil service regulations to meet urgent staffing needs, cover employees on leave or support specific programmes and projects,” it added in its written reply.
l Bahraini jobseekers could also get priority for security guard positions at government facilities under a new proposal aimed at strengthening national participation in protecting public buildings.
Lead proposer MP Abdulwahid Qarata said reserving these jobs for Bahrainis would help tackle unemployment, open doors for young jobseekers and reinforce national identity across state institutions.
“Bahrainis should be given the opportunity to protect their country’s facilities and resources, while securing stable livelihoods for themselves and their families,” he said.
The government responses indicate that Bahrainis already account for 98.5 per cent of security guards working in government entities covered by the Civil Service Law.
The Interior Ministry also backed the proposal’s objectives. It added that Article 9 stipulates that security guards employed by licensed companies must be Bahraini, although non-Bahrainis may be hired temporarily under conditions set by the minister, without prejudice to labour laws.
Education Minister Dr Mohammed Mubarak Juma said employing Bahraini security guards was a requirement in its tenders, while Health Minister Dr Jalila Al Sayyed said most guards at its facilities were Bahrainis and that future contracts would be considered in line with regulations and available budgets.
Labour Market Regulatory Authority chief executive Nibras Talib said the authority monitored companies’ compliance with Bahrainisation requirements, while staffing distribution remained the responsibility of the companies themselves.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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