Gulf | Bahrain
Bahrain stalls move on trade unions
A government move to allow the formation of multiple trade unions in the private sector has been frozen amid concerns that expatriate workers would set up separate unions, sources said on Monday.
- By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
- Published: 23:35 December 22, 2008
Manama: A government move to allow the formation of multiple trade unions in the private sector has been frozen amid concerns that expatriate workers would set up separate unions, sources said on Monday.
"The government's U-turn was generated by the strikes that brought several construction projects to a standstill last year. There are now concerns that the more than 300,000 workers could establish their own unions and use them as powerful pressure tools," the sources said.
"The fact that expatriates would be able to form their own unions could become a threat to the meaning of genuine trade unionism in Bahrain."
In 2002 Bahrain granted workers, including non-citizens, the right to form and join unions, and the government last year said that it would move ahead with the multiple trade unions decision as part of international commitments.
However, it came under attack from local unionists who said that the move would fragment the current federation of workers. Although the lower house of the bicameral parliament last year endorsed the government's decision, the upper house opposed it, claiming that it would hurt the development of the economy.
Bahrain, home to 520,000 foreigners making up almost half of the total population, last year witnessed a series of strikes by mainly Indian workers demanding higher wages and better living and working conditions.
However, business leaders charged that the strikes were partly encouraged by international rights groups and political forces seeking to settle the expatriates in the GCC states where they make up almost half of the total population of 42 million.
"The visible picture is that the labourers go on strike because they want to improve their living conditions and receive better wages. However, the undeclared reason is a drive by human rights organisations and some governments to have the labourers eventually settle in the Gulf and integrate," Othman Shareef, a board member of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), said.
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