By Eunice del Rosario
Published: 26th September 2006
EXPATRIATE workers have every right to know exactly how much they are going to earn in Bahrain per month before leaving their countries, says a top labour official. Labour disputes would be reduced if workers were fully aware of what to expect once they are in the country, said Labour Ministry Under-Secretary Shaikh Abdulrahman bin Abdulla Al Khalifa.
He was speaking during a meeting held at the ministry, in Isa Town, with ambassadors and officials from the Indian, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Thai Embassies.
The closed-door meeting on Sunday was the follow up to the meeting held on September 14 at the ministry between ministry labour relations director Shaikh Ali bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa and officials from the five embassies, including that from the Indonesian Embassy.
By Eunice del Rosario
Published: 26th September 2006
EXPATRIATE workers have every right to know exactly how much they are going to earn in Bahrain per month before leaving their countries, says a top labour official. Labour disputes would be reduced if workers were fully aware of what to expect once they are in the country, said Labour Ministry Under-Secretary Shaikh Abdulrahman bin Abdulla Al Khalifa.
He was speaking during a meeting held at the ministry, in Isa Town, with ambassadors and officials from the Indian, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Thai Embassies.
The closed-door meeting on Sunday was the follow up to the meeting held on September 14 at the ministry between ministry labour relations director Shaikh Ali bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa and officials from the five embassies, including that from the Indonesian Embassy.
Shaikh Abdulrahman reminded the envoys that the there is no minimum wage law in Bahrain, insisting that the wages throughout the GCC were market-driven.
“The policy of the labour market is founded on no minimum wages,” he said.
“Therefore, embassies in Bahrain should bring to the attention of recruitment offices in their countries about the importance of being sincere in terms of wages, since some of these offices would tell workers that they will receive large salaries in Bahrain.
“When these workers come to Bahrain, they discover that they receive salaries that are less than what they have been told.”
Shaikh Abdulrahman said that the ministry was keen to inform all expatriate workers in Bahrain about the country’s legal procedures.
“In this regard, the ministry has prepared brochures and pamphlets, which contain basic information on the dos and don’ts in Bahrain,” he said.
These are being published in different languages and a cartoon version will also be published for the illiterate.
He assured the ambassadors that labour disputes would be considerably reduced when all employers in Bahrain start paying their workers salaries through banks.
The Cabinet approved the new system, under which all private sector establishments should pay their employees’ wages through banks, earlier this year.
The ambassadors at the meeting pledged to continue their embassies’ cooperation with the ministry.
The meeting held on September 14 was called following the Philippine government’s proposal to double the current minimum wage of Filipina housemaids in the Gulf.
During that meeting, Shaikh Ali reiterated that any minimum wage, particularly the proposal to increase Filipina maids’ minimum salaries from $200 (BD75) to $400 (BD151), was not legally binding in Bahrain.
The current minimum wage for Filipina maids is BD75, while for Indonesian maids it is BD60.
Indian ambassadors in the GCC earlier this year began studying a BD80-a-month minimum wage for Indian housemaids.
The ministry’s international and public relations director Sabah Al Dossary had said that Bahrain government’s view is that it cannot accept any minimum wage for foreign workers in a free market economy.
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