Expatriates who run away from their sponsors will be forced to bear all financial costs of repatriation.
Amendments to the 2006 Labour Market Regulatory Law, which were passed by parliament yesterday, state that any employee, domestic worker or labourer who runs away will have to pay for their flight ticket back home or have their relatives pay for repatriation if they die in Bahrain.
MPs took the vote despite warnings from Parliament and Shura Council Affairs Minister Ghanim Al Buainain that the amendments were a clear constitutional violation.
The government previously told MPs that most of the workers in that segment arrived in Bahrain from low-income families, meaning the payments would eventually have to be shouldered from public coffers.
“After runaway workers make their fortune they decide to surrender to the police, knowing their original sponsor would pay for their return,” said MP Ahmed Al Ansari during debate on the issue.
“They plan everything when taking the decision to run away, they commit a crime and then the innocent party gets punished.”
However, MP Sayed Falah Hashim said these workers are often forced to run away from employers who exploit them and demanded his colleagues amend the term in the law.
“If someone is happy at work they won’t leave, only those who are mistreated decide to go searching for something they can live on, so saying they are runaways is unjust because they are not prisoners in the first place,” he said.
“As for expatriates who die here, blackmailing their families to get their bodies is wrong as most of them are poor.”
The amendments will be referred to the Shura Council for review.
Meanwhile, Labour and Social Development Minister Jameel Humaidan attended yesterday’s session to respond to questions by MPs on the effects of the Flexible Work Permit on the labour market.
Mr Humaidan said that up to 100 inspectors were working to ensure the permits were not being misused and that the labour market was protected.
“Since tripling the cost of the flexible permit, the number of daily applications has dropped from around 300 to 55 and in the end whatever the amount collected – it is now costing BD1,450 per flexible permit – we refer it to Tamkeen to fund programmes for Bahrainis,” he said.
“There are 100 inspectors following up with individuals holding flexible permits, which have now dropped significantly by 78pc, as we enforced stricter regulations, and the permit system is under regular revision as we overcome challenges towards benefiting the labour and trade markets.”
He also added that Bahrainisation has increased by 30pc in the last year, with 3,307 people employed last month alone as the ministry launched a scheme to employ 25,000 Bahrainis by the end of the year.
“The daily employment rate has increased from 78 to 103 on average and we are working to have it further increased as we look to surpass our 25,000 target this year,” he said.
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