01 October 2007
Manama: Immediate steps must be taken to check "the erosion" of the Arab national character in the Gulf states by the influx of foreign workers, a senior Gulf official warns.
But Dr. Majeed Al Alawi, Bahraini Minister of Labour, also says that the working conditions of expatriate labourers should be improved and their rights protected.
"The majority of foreign manpower in the region comes from different cultural and social backgrounds that cannot assimilate or adapt to the local cultures," he told Gulf News in an interview.
"In some areas in the Gulf, you can't tell whether you are in an Arab Muslim country or in an Asian district. We can't call this diversity and no nation on earth could accept the erosion of its own culture on its own land."
Workers' rights
To address this particular challenge, Bahrain proposed a maximum six-year residency cap on foreign workers in the Gulf, and Al Alawi says he is "optimistic" that the two-year-old proposal will be approved by the upcoming GCC summit, set to be held in Doha in December.
Meanwhile, Al Alawi suggests the traditional sponsorship system, known locally as kafala, be scrapped. The government henceforth would be in charge of the visas and work permits of expatriate workers.
The move is intended to ensure the protection of workers' rights and that they get what they are promised during the recruiting process, the minister added.
"It would also mean that no foreign worker would be hired for a position that can be filled by a national."
The government authority will initially be in charge of sponsorship transfers and will resolve conflicts between workers and their employers but ultimately will be in charge of recruiting and sponsoring the expatriates.
By Duraid Al Baik
Gulf News 2007. All rights reserved.
