Bahrain says businesses violations and runaway cases rising

Manama, Bahrain – Labour violations by businesses and cases of foreign workers fleeing their jobs both jumped in 2006, according to figures released by the Bahraini Labour Ministry on Thursday. Inspectors issued more than 480 violations of Bahrain’s Labour Code in 2006, a 57-per-cent increase on 2005, according to the head of the Labour Ministry’s inspections department, Ahmad Al Khabaz

May 3, 2007, 22:23 GMT

Manama, Bahrain – Labour violations by businesses and cases of foreign workers fleeing their jobs both jumped in 2006, according to figures released by the Bahraini Labour Ministry on Thursday.

Inspectors issued more than 480 violations of Bahrain’s Labour Code in 2006, a 57-per-cent increase on 2005, according to the head of the Labour Ministry’s inspections department, Ahmad Al Khabaz.

The total number of inspection visits carried out by authorities in the small Gulf island during 2006 amounted to 6,274, more than 1,600 of which came after complaints by labour unions. The remainder were part of campaigns to inspect work conditions in sectors such as construction, garages and spare parts, and retail.

Al Khabaz said the department carried out joint inspection campaigns with a number of other authorities such as the Coast Guard to inspect workers at sea and with the Immigration and Passport Department and the Ministry of Commerce to inspect work conditions in the construction sector.

Al Khabaz also said that his department inspected 743 facilities to ensure compliance with safety and health requirements for new businesses that applied to obtain new work permits.

He also said his department documented the flight of 2,984 foreign workers from their jobs, marking a 23.45 per cent over the previous year.

Many housemaids and workers, mainly from Asia, arrive to fill low- wage jobs, but then escape from their work place and try to find employment illegally in the country. Some escape because of ill treatment, while others flee trying to make better wages in free- lancing jobs.

© 2007 dpa – Deutsche Presse-Agentur