Support and protection of migrant workers and their rights

The Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs signed a decision laying down the conditions and procedures for the election of workers' representatives to joint committees of companies and establishments that have 30 or more employees. The committee will include representatives of the employer and the workers and will look into all work-related matters in a company or establishment, including the organisation of work, ways to increase and develop production and improve productivity, training programmes for workers, risk prevention means and means to improve the level of compliance with occupational safety and health rules.

The Law governing the entry and exit of expatriate workers in Qatar was amended in to allow them to exit the country on temporary or permanent basis without obtaining prior approval from their employer in the form of an exit permit, but did not cover expatriates working in government and public entities, in the oil and gas sector, at sea, in agriculture, in private offices and as domestic workers. Decision No. 95 of 2019 was then issued by the Minister of Interior and removed exit permit requirements for most of the workers excluded from the September 2018 amendment, except for military personnel.

Resolution No. 68 on the Wage Protection System, issued by the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs stated that business owners must commit to paying the salaries of workers as stipulated in the Wage Protection System and as per the dates set in Labour Law no. (36) for the year 2012 for the private sector through the entities authorised by the Central Bank of Bahrain. The authorised entities have to disclose to the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA), upon the payment of employees’ salaries, information on the full name and personal number of an employee, the salary amount paid along with the date of payment, the account number of the employee or the employment identification code, and the account number and the private or commercial register number of the employer.

Resolution No. 1 on the Implementation of the Wage Protection System, issued by the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs on 11 July 2019 provided for the establishment of a database in LMRA for purposes of oversight of salary payments by employers to employees in accordance with the provisions of the Law and resolution No. 68 for the year 2019 on the Wage Protection System.

Oman repealed their previous Foreign Capital Investment Law promulgated by Royal Decree 102/94 and replaced it in 2019 with Royal Decree 50/2019. The new Foreign Capital Investment Law outlines the requirements for foreigners to do business in the country such as conditions, procedures, timelines, approvals needed, etc. Additionally, the law includes several provisions for the protection of rights of the foreign investor such as requiring a notification by the ministry in the case of a violation and allowing a period of 30 days to rectify the offence, guaranteeing protection from arbitrary or illegal seizure of assets, and establishing a council for grievances of foreign investors.

Decision No. 23 defines the scope of application of health insurance law as all citizens, residents, and visitors. Provisions for migrant workers are included in Article 28 requiring the employer to pay the fees for health insurance subscription on behalf of his non-Bahraini workers in order to cover the benefits listed under the compulsory health package for residents and requiring a sponsor to pay the subscription fees for persons he sponsors who do not have an employer in order to cover the benefits listed under the relevant compulsory health insurance package.

Law No. 17 establishes a workers’ support and insurance fund to support, ensure and provide care for workers, by guaranteeing their rights and a healthy and safe working environment, paying workers’ due wages following a decision by the labour dispute committees, providing humanitarian support for workers in emergency situations, and standardizing mandatory recreation for workers.

Algeria ratified a MOU with Mali on labour, employment and social security, including provisions for the protection of migrant workers and the dissemination of information about their rights.

Jordan and Nepal signed an agreement of cooperation to increase the eployment of Nepalese workers in Jordan, focusing on the responsibilities of both countries in regulating employment and recruitment costs, and upholding the rights of workers, employers and agencies.

The Council of Cooperative Health Insurance (CCHI) rolled out its plan for unified health insurance that require private businesses to extend health insurance coverage to all employees and their families, including migrant workers, in several phases.