'No exceptions' to outdoor work ban

Manama: Resisting intense pressure from businessmen and contractors, Bahrain's labour minister has ruled out any exception to the ban on outdoor work during the hottest hours of July and August.

Terming the government's decision not to allow labourers to work outdoors between noon and 4pm in July and August as "irreversible," Majeed Al Alawi said the law applies to all contractors and construction firms regardless of their stature.

"The minister did receive applications by contractors for special derogations arguing the nature of their work demanded continuous efforts, and he submitted them to the safety department to assess their merits. However, the department rejected all of them on the grounds that the reasons given were not valid," Ali Makki, the head of occupational safety at the labour ministry, said at a meeting with company officials in charge of safety and security on Wednesday.

"There are no exceptions, and a leading contractor for instance was fined BD6,400 (Dh62,363) for making 128 workers work during the noon-4pm ban," Makki said.

However, electricity contractors said they deserved the exemption because they could not suspend or delay their operations if they were working on restoring power.

"What should we do if there is a power cut during the ban? Should we wait for four hours before we start our work?" asked a contractor at the meeting.

Bahrain last month said it would maintain the two-month ban it introduced last year to "enhance productivity and protect the health" of thousands of labourers at construction sites.

Companies that violate the ban are made to pay fines ranging between BD50 and BD300 for each worker exposed to the scorching heat.

"Last year, labour officials inspected 3,855 sites. A total of 472 establishments that obliged 1,641 labourers to work outdoors between noon and 4pm were taken to court," Jameel Humaidan, the labour ministry assistant undersecretary, said at the meeting.

"At the same time, we found 3,383 companies complied with the law and did not deploy workers between noon and 4pm," he said.

The ministry has plans to deploy around 40 inspectors this summer to carry out visits to the various worksites.

'Return passports'

Bahrain's labour minister Majeed Al Alawi has warned employers who withhold the passports of their foreign labourers of legal action, urging them to return the official documents to their owners.

"Such a practice breaches human rights principles and is against the laws of Bahrain and the conventions of the International Labour Organisation," the minister said in a statement distributed yesterday by the labour ministry.

"We have received a high number of complaints from expatriates about their bosses withholding their passports. This is against the law because the passport is an official document issued by the expatriate's home country and the employer has nothing to do with it. I urge all employers to return the passports of their employees to avoid any legal action taken against them," he said.