Bahrain pass bill to end workers residing in residential areas

Manama : The House of Representatives yesterday passed a bill that instructs to allocate 15 per cent of the space of industrial areas to build accommodations for labourers.

The bill, which was intensively discussed during the previous sessions of the current legislative term, aims at combatting the phenomenon of the increasing unmarried workers within residential areas where families reside.

The bill came up in the third regular weekly meeting chaired by Speaker Ahmed Ibrahim Al Mulla yesterday. The majority of MPs voted for the bill, which stipulates amending Article 24 of Law Decree 28 of 1999 with regards to establishing and regulating industrial areas. The amendment demands allocating 15 pc of industrial lands to build labour camps and accommodations.

Some of the MPs said during the discussion that the bill would reduce several social phenomena such as traffic congestions in residential areas and labourers’ gathering near the entrances of houses and residences.

The legislators also reviewed the Government’s replies to 20 proposals that included finding permanent solutions to arbitrary termination of Bahraini employees’ contracts in companies of the private sector and protecting them, banning strikes in Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) factory, establishing a directorate concerned about rainwater and surface water discharge and constructing a pedestrians bridge near Al Hidaya Al Khalifiah School in Muharraq.