Foreign Workers Can Now Choose
Since the 1st of August 2009 foreign workers have stopped working
with their current employers and have moved to work with different
employers in different institutions. The abolition of the guarantor
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system has allowed workers to move freely between jobs. This has
occurred despite the fact that many employers have objected to the
new system as it causes disorder when attempting to replace the
workers and also generates extra expenses.
A number of merchants closed their shops as a protest against
the decision. The committee which consists of the (Ministry of Labour,
Labour Market Regulatory Authority, Bahrain Chamber of Commerce
and Industry and General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions), has
failed to find a solution to the problem created by the implementation
of the decision, which states that ‘the foreign worker has the right
to move to another job without the permission of his employer as
long as the rights of the latter are not affected’. The Minister
of Labour described the guarantor system as ‘uncivilized’ and that
the ‘freedom of changing jobs’ complies with international regulations.
He also stated that abolishing the guarantor system will place Bahrain
among developed countries in their attitudes towards foreign workers.
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