LMRA will launch new work permit system for domestic workers today

The Labour and Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) will launch the new system to issue work permits to domestic workers today. The new system will allow applications for recruitment and the issuance of domestic helpers permits to take place electronically through one of the accredited domestic helpers agencies. It also allows three operations to be combined into one and the beneficiary will have the possibility to issue or renew the worker’s permit optionally for one or two years. The system introduced by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) for the recruitment of domestic workers is aimed at the welfare of both the workers and their employers.

The LMRA recently held a training session for all domestic worker recruitment agencies to inform them about the new system and its characteristics and the agencies’ new prerogatives.  The applications will be passed to both eGovernment Authority and Nationality, Passport and Residence Affairs (NPRA) to issue the worker identification number and visa respectively. Ali Al Kooheji, Vice-President of Operations at LMRA, said: “As per the directions of the Government of Bahrain, to ease the procedures for Bahrain nationals and residents, the LMRA has initiated a number of features and facilities to the employers of domestic employees through the new domestic work permit issuance system. “Under the new system, employers can go to a recruitment agency approved by the LMRA, choose the worker and submit the application electronically.

 “The most prominent features of this new system are that it is time and effort saving for the employer where the domestic work permit issuance will be regulated through one electronic transaction, which will help reduce the number of visits to government offices by more than 50 per cent. “The new system will allow employers to issue domestic work permits for 12 months or 24 months in addition to allowing employers to renew domestic work permits and residency for six,12 or 24 months, which gives more flexibility to families regarding the period of time for which they need the domestic workers.” The new system will help limit the entrance of unfit expatriates to the Kingdom through pre-employment medical check-ups at the country of origin through any of the GCC approved medical centres, which will help maintain a healthy environment for the nationals and residents of the Kingdom.

 “The new system will issue a CPR (national identity number) prior to the entrance to the Kingdom, which will provide faster and direct access to facilities that need the presence of identification in places like banks, hospital, telecom services,” Mr Al Kooheji said. The system is built with features to protect the domestic workers where it will be mandatory for all employers to use the tripartite domestic contract, which is a contract that regulates the relationship between the agency, the employer and the domestic worker. “Under the new contract, employers seeking to hire a domestic worker must declare, among other things, the nature of the job, work and rest hours and weekly days off.

 “It will also mandate a commitment to employment and wage contract for those domestic employees, who are employed through direct employment arrangements such as transfer from an employer to another inside the Kingdom where a recruitment office is not a part of the employment process. “Bahrain is set to announce a new system for expat salary protection, which will require every firm to transfer all expatriate salaries through local banks. This will ensure that the payment of salaries fulfils contractual obligations and can be tracked.”

Meanwhile, the LMRA has warned of dealing with unlicensed agencies or mediators, the list of accredited agencies can be found on LMRA’s website www. lmra.bh or by calling the authority’s contact centre on 1750605.