Bahrainis form panel to fight unemployment

Bahrainis without jobs formed their own national committee this week seeking suitable work as well as compensation for unemployment. They were also calling for an increase in the minimum wage.

The committee has set up an election process to have 30 to 50 unemployed Bahrainis elected to its central committee. It is expected to begin work in three to four weeks.

The move was described by organisers as a civil society effort to address the issue of Bahrainis. Moreover, it is not aimed at the large community of expatriate workers in the country, they said.

Committee members said they wanted their actions approved by the government, but said they would still go ahead with their plans regardless.

"There are a number of committees and societies operating in Bahrain that have not received accreditation or had their credentials revoked by the Ministry of Social Affairs.

"This is an effort by the unemployed to shed light on their problem and to have a committee to represent them and their case," said Abdul Hadi Al Khawaja from the dissolved Bahrain Centre for Human Rights.

Al Khawaja said the problem of unemployment and underemployment continues because of the strong hold that some big businessmen and influential political figures have on the economy and media outlets, which are used to resisting the reform plans the government began a few years ago.

Abdul Wahab Hussain, a well-known Bahraini political activist and a committee forming member, said corruption, mismanagement and discrimination are to blame for the troubles in the employment sector.

There are no official figures regarding the number of unemployed Bahrainis, but a report prepared by international consultants McKenzie and Company commissioned by the government last year suggested there were 16,000 to 20,000 unemployed Bahrainis.

The report also said the unemployment figure could hit 100,000 by 2013.

Former MP Ali Rabeeah, who is expected to be part of the new committee, said the problem of unemployment in Bahrain was "an artificial one" because of the large number of expatriate workers.

"In the past, Bahrainis used to do all the jobs, but today the situation of poor workers from overseas is exploited by having them come to work here for lower wages," he said.

Committee founding members said among the goals they are seeking is a minimum wage of 350 dinars ($929) for all workers.

Those who receive less than that or are employed on a temporary basis will be considered underemployed, they said. There are no figures on the numbers of Bahrainis who receive wages of less than 350 dinars.

The writer is an Arab journalist based in Manama