New labour reforms to benefit expat women : LMRA

Manama : Expatriate women will be the biggest beneficiaries of Bahrain’s plans to overhaul the labour market, according to Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) chief Ausamah Al Absi. Speaking at the monthly meeting of the Bahrain India Society today Mr Al Absi announced that from the first quarter of 2017, working expat women will be able to sponsor their husbands, putting them on par with working men.

The biggest reform will be that housewives who are already in Bahrain will be able to take up employment without changing their original sponsor, thus unlocking a rich vein of expertise, talent and work skills that will fuel Bahrain’s progress.

“We are sure that these moves, when taken in addition to the previously announced ‘flexi’ work permits system, will reinforce the Kingdom’s already bright reputation as a country that respects labour rights and reinforces the freedom of the worker at all levels to choose their work and workplace,” Mr Al Absi said.

The flexible work permits shall be available only to expatriates whose records show to be “illegal” as of September 20, 2016 and who are not runaways. The new system will also encourage every expatriate, whether consultant or domestic help, to become a legal free agent.

Women working in Bahrain can now sponsor their husbands for stay in the Kingdom - a move that was greeted as a great equaliser by the audience. Beginning in the first quarter of 2017, it will also become mandatory for employers to deposit the salaries of domestic workers and also workers in the semi-skilled and unskilled sector in bank accounts so that there is transparency in the fulfilling of contractual obligations.

“The government of Bahrain has once again taken the lead in workplace reforms by acknowledging the rights of expatriate women to contribute to the progress of the Kingdom,” said BIS Chairman Mohammed Dadabhai.

“It is particularly apt that this announcement comes in December when Bahrain celebrates Bahraini Women’s Day and also the National Day of the Kingdom.”

“The new system unlocks new potential and energy for Bahrain and will allow businesses to access new talent," Mr Dadabhai added. "It will also make the market more responsive to demand and recalibrate the cost of labour because both employers and employees will leverage this freedom of labour market movement to pick the best people for the job at the best price. This will make businesses in Bahrain even more competitive.”

The open-ended work permit with monthly renewal at LMRA will be available only to expatriates who are not runaway workers. It was pointed out that this new arrangement would also underscore Bahraini authorities’ determination to ensure that the rights of workers are protected and their personal documentation is not subject to the whims of employers and also that their passports are not used as weapons to chain them to unsatisfactory work conditions.

Caption : Ausamah Al Absi