Web posted at: 4/19/2007 3:14:24
Source ::: The Peninsula
Doha • The Gulf countries will be forced to change their existing system of sponsorship sooner than later, a senior government official from Bahrain said here yesterday.
The observation was made by Jamil Humaidan, Under-secretary at the Ministry of Manpower in Bahrain while responding to an intervention from the audience on the sponsorship issue. Humaidan was a speaker at a session titled “migrant workers and Gulf labour market.”
The intervention was from a Qatari businessman, who said he would prefer expatriate workers to the nationals because he will have more control over them under the existing system. Nationals can switch jobs according to their whims because they don’t require a release from the sponsor.
Web posted at: 4/19/2007 3:14:24
Source ::: The Peninsula
Doha • The Gulf countries will be forced to change their existing system of sponsorship sooner than later, a senior government official from Bahrain said here yesterday.
The observation was made by Jamil Humaidan, Under-secretary at the Ministry of Manpower in Bahrain while responding to an intervention from the audience on the sponsorship issue. Humaidan was a speaker at a session titled “migrant workers and Gulf labour market.”
The intervention was from a Qatari businessman, who said he would prefer expatriate workers to the nationals because he will have more control over them under the existing system. Nationals can switch jobs according to their whims because they don’t require a release from the sponsor.
Reacting to his comments, Humaidan said, “Words like “control” are taboo in the work ethics. Currently nationals can switch jobs without permission from the sponsor and this is going to happen in the case of expatriates as well, whether we like it or not. The only solution is to create a conducive job environment that will prompt the worker to stick with the employer,” he said.