Bahrain

The Minister of Health issued decision No. 27 suspending for 3 months starting April 9, 2020 the general medical consultation fee of BHD 7, paid by non-Bahrainis in health institutions affiliated to the Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Health also committed to providing free medical and health care services for Coronavirus testing, quarantine and treatment to all alike and for free in preventive quarantine centres and isolation and treatment centres for COVID-19.

LMRA decided to reduce fees related to issuing and renewing all work permits for the first year since its issuance, and reduce all fees it collects by 50% for 3 months starting July. 

Employers who have had to stop their commercial activities in whole or in part as a precaution due to the repercussions of the emerging coronavirus (19-COVID) until the issuance of this decision, are exempted from the fees for issuing or renewing work permits for the first year of the permit’s validity, and they are also exempted from the monthly fees due to them for a period of three months, starting from the first of July 2020.

The Cabinet approved a draft resolution to Regulate the Authority for Settlement of Individual Labour Disputes. The Authority will be attached to the Department of Labour Relations in the Ministry of Labour and Social Development. Its mission is to try to effect an amicable settlement between an employer and employee, on the condition that both parties consent to it and prior to resorting to the Judiciary. This is to reduce the number of cases presented to the Judiciary. The draft resolution specifies the organization and administration of the Authority as well as the requirements for settlement.

Amnesty was granted through Royal Decree No. 10 to 901 prisoners, including migrants, for humanitarian reasons and in light of the COVID-19 situation. The Ministry of Interior undertook a comprehensive study to determine the prisoners who are eligible for amnesty following the provisions of the law and the principles of international human rights agreements. Consideration was given to female and young prisoners, the sick who need special care, and the extent of commitment to rehabilitation programmes. Foreigners will be deported to their home countries where they will serve the remaining period of their sentences.

LMRA announced that the management of work permits for migrants in the domestic workers category will be conducted through the Expatriate Management System (EMS) as of 17 March 2019, to support the provision of a transparent, efficient, one-stop-shop service. The EMS is an electronic system that allows employers or persons authorized on their behalf to undertake the transactions of issuing and renewing work permits and other LMRA related transactions.

On 5 March 2019, the King approved and issued Law No. (1) for the year 2019 Amending Article 14 of Law No. (21) of 2015 on Private Health Institutions. The aim is to prioritise the employment of Bahraini doctors, technicians and nurses in these institutions unless there is a need for special expertise that is rare and unavailable. Private Health Institutions should start implementing the provisions of the Law with immediate effect upon the expiration of the contracts of expatriate medical staff.

The Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) announced a new scheme that is in line with the National Employment Programme and aims at increasing employment opportunities for Bahraini university graduates in the private sector. Firms in the private sector will get to recruit from the list of university graduates registered with the Ministry of Labour and Social Development (MoLSD), on the understanding that the chosen candidates will receive free professional training and wage support from the Ministry, going up to 70 per cent during the first year of employment. The issuance of work permits submitted by a company to LMRA will be put off/delayed by fourteen days to allow MoLSD to get in touch with the company and deliver a shortlist of suitable candidates registered with the Ministry for the job vacancy in question. The company’s request will be automatically processed after day fourteen in the event of no selection from the shortlist.

Resolution No. 2 amends some provisions of Resolution No. 76 of 2008 on the Regulation of Work-Permits for Foreign Workers Who Are Not Non-Domestic Workers. This resolution ensures that employers looking to renew the work permits of migrant workers have succeeded in preserving workers’ rights, including the timely payment of wages, and did not mistreat them in any way. It also requires employers to register and update data pertaining to their businesses and employees and make other commitments that protect workers’ rights.

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.