Gulf | Bahrain
Businesses resist plan for workers' transport
Bahrain's business community is resisting a government decision to ban the transport of labourers on open trucks, saying its implementation would be onerous and would increase traffic woes.
- By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
- Published: 23:50 April 20, 2008
Manama: Bahrain's business community is resisting a government decision to ban the transport of labourers on open trucks, saying its implementation would be onerous and would increase traffic woes.
The government last week banned the transportation of labourers to and from workplaces in open trucks, and told contractors that they must provide safe and suitable vehicles.
The government, seeking to improve its human rights record, said the decision, to be implemented starting next year, aimed to safeguard and respect workers' rights and safety.
But yesterday, the powerful Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) said that the decision was impractical and complained that it had not been consulted about it.
Inflation
"It comes at a time of unprecedented inflation levels and financial demands on employers that include higher fees for work permits and a 43 per cent increase in the price of diesel. This means heavy burdens that would eventually affect consumers and increase inflation," Isam Fakhro, the BCCI chairman, said in a press statement.
The non-existence of transportation companies with large bus fleets to meet the demands of the local contractors will make the application of the ban more difficult for businesses, he said.
"In this case, contractors will have to buy new vehicles to carry the labourers, which means that they will have to spend more money," Fakhro said.
The chamber complained that new vehicles to transport the labourers would lead to an unbearable increase in the number of vehicles on Bahrain's already congested roads, leading to more accidents, high pollution levels and the deterioration of the roads.
"We also deplore that the decision was limited to private sector contractors, without including the public sector, which we believe is not fair because the two sectors share the responsibilities of safeguarding workers' rights," he said.
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