More than 100 abattoir staff to lose their jobs

Manama: More than 100 employees of the Central Abattoir are expected to lose their jobs by the end of June.

Sources confirmed to our sister newspaper Al Ayam that some of these employees have been working at the slaughterhouse since it was established around 30 years ago.

Bahrain Livestock Company (BLC) General Manager Ibrahim Zainal stated that the facility remains open for the public, who wish to slaughter sheep in return of trifle fees.

“The company continues importing frozen meat and pumps it into the local market on daily basis to meet the demand of consumers,” Zainal said. However, he reaffirmed that the company had conducted studies that proved importing livestock and maintaining the slaughter isn’t commercially viable. 

Meanwhile, he revealed that BLC was gradually terminating work contracts of employees at the abattoir, asserting that all of their rights were granted to them with “utmost love and appreciation.”

The sources had disclosed that more than 100 employees will be sacked by the end of this month. “Some of them have been working at the slaughterhouse since it was established in 1984. They  continued to work at it after the facility was acquired by BLC in 2000.”

The sources expressed their concern about the fate of the sacked employees and their families, adding that a Manager was fired by the beginning of May. DT News reported last week that the authorities and  the BLC had agreed to temporarily reopen the slaughterhouse to meet the increasing demand on fresh meat during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

This came after the BLC board members announced the closure of the facility in April, attributing it to the lack of commercial viability.