Hassan Al -Sitry
A draft law amending Article 4 of Law No. 19 of 2006 regarding the regulation of the labor market, which includes mandatory to include the national plan on the labor market, approved the maximum number of the total number of work permits issued by the Labor Market Regulatory Authority, instead of the passenger judgment contained in the law in force.
Representative Mamdouh Al -Saleh called for the necessity of setting a maximum of work permits issued by the Labor Market Regulatory Authority, indicating that villages and residential areas have become suffering from the accumulation of expatriate workers in the absence of a clear organization of numbers and permits to establish foreigners. He stressed that this is a great pressure on the infrastructure, and negatively affects the comfort of the population.
He stated that the opening of small institutions and commercial records for the benefit of foreigners led to the restrictions of daily life to citizens and the increase in the crowds of streets and public facilities in an unprecedented way. He called for the activation of the deportation policies firmly, especially against the irregular and unacceptable workers, to preserve the identity of Bahraini society and ensure the comfort of citizens in their homeland.
For his part, the Minister of Legal Affairs and the Acting Minister of Labor, Youssef Khalaf, explained that the law regulating the labor market, issued in 2006, stipulated the development of a plan for every two years. But this was modified so that the plan is placed every four years. He said: Previously, the Labor Market Regulatory Authority was responsible for developing this plan, but now this responsibility has moved to the Ministry of Labor after the approval of the Council of Ministers, and this amendment aims to strengthen the national character of the plan, as it has become a general national strategy, not only for the labor market, and is prepared with the participation of the various parties concerned.
He asked: Is it logical to predict the needs of the labor market over four years in advance and set numbers based on these expectations? Especially in light of unexpected crises such as the Corona’s pandemic, which strongly affected the demand for employment as it decreased sharply at a stage, and then suddenly rose later. The minister pointed out that in the event of new projects and the lack of employment in the local market, some practical challenges may appear. He added that they are working to study the situation from a realistic angle to confront it effectively.
For her part, the head of the Services Committee, Deputy Jalila Alawi, confirmed that there are no sudden major projects, as all projects are subject to a study and prior planning.
She explained that the state is advancing at a fixed pace in the implementation of clearly defined infrastructure projects. As for Representative Khaled Bouak, he pointed to the circulation of a Gulf video about the reality of the stray workers in the year, which sparked widespread interaction, and led to a major societal debate. He added, “We are now 40 deputies talking about this issue, and we do not find the same echo.
For his part, Representative Abdul Wahid Qaralata said that when he visited the Muharraq Market, a number of foreigners who offer their services can be observed. This was considered an indication of their presence in the country without actual work, which requires more effective review and evaluation of the situation.
