MPs push for Tamkeen to cover sports club wages

TDT | Manama

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MPs want Tamkeen to foot the wage bill for Bahraini athletes and club staff to stop pay delays and open up jobs in sport.

A parliamentary committee has backed a proposal calling on the Labour Fund, Tamkeen, to pay the salaries of local sports professionals, including players, coaches and backroom staff, throughout the course of their contracts.

The plan, put forward by five MPs, is aimed at keeping Bahraini workers in the game and encouraging young people to consider jobs in sports clubs.

It is also a response to repeated complaints about late wages and patchy allowances.

Scheme

If adopted, the scheme would cover all sports at local clubs, with Tamkeen stepping in to support those hired under employment or professional contracts.

The Services Committee gave it the nod this week and described it as a way to keep talent from walking away while easing pressure on clubs.

The MPs behind the proposal are Mohammed Jassim Al Olaiwi, Abdulhakim Al Sheno, Eman Showaiter, Dr Hisham Al Ashiri and Hisham Al Awadhi.

They said the measure would support the Sports Professionalism Law and encourage clubs to become more commercially minded.

They also said it would help tackle youth joblessness by offering new openings in sport.

Parliament is expected to debate the proposal next Tuesday. Tamkeen, for its part, said it already runs a slate of programmes aimed at private firms.