Bahrain Employment and Career News
More Bahraini firms defaulting recruitment laws
The numbers of Bahraini companies blacklisted for violating recruitment laws have increased by 30 percent this year, in comparison to last year, revealed figures by the Overseas Indian Affairs Ministry.
The Protector of Emigrants and Director at the Ministry, R. Sekar, confirmed that New Delhi will continue to blacklist firms that defy Bahrain’s labour regulations and exploit workers.
At present there are 57 Bahraini companies in the Ministry’s blacklist, compared to 43 companies last August. These companies will not be permitted to recruit workers from India, until they rectify their situation, he said.
The complaints against these companies include retention of passports, denial in salary payments, unauthorized salary deductions, and poor accommodation facilities. Few companies do not follow safe working environment, while few companies have compelled employees to sign on blank papers for misuse or exploitation.
Sekar said that the companies have been given an opportunity to rectify their mistakes and once they agree, they are taken off the blacklist. But, during the blacklist period, they cannot recruit people from India and their representatives will not be granted visas by the Indian embassy.
He revealed an instance wherein the Royal Tower Construction Company, which was blacklisted by the embassy as being responsible for death of 16 Indians in a labour camp fire in Gudaibiva three years ago, was found operating under another name and Commercial Registration, employing same workers. But the firm was once again blacklisted for deducting money from its employees’ salaries, and confiscating their CPR cards and passports.
The criminal proceedings for the company are still continuing. After investigations it was also found that the building had been dangerously modified to squeeze in more than 200 workers. The Indian government will no longer approve visas issued by Bahrain government for that company.
In the meanwhile, the Ministry has amended its emigration rules, and has increased the security bank guarantee for beginning a recruiting agency in India to BD16,000 from BD2400 this month, Sekar pointed out. “The move is a part of our fight against illegal agents, and the amendments came into effect a couple of days ago,” he said.
Posted on 16/7/2009
Social Bookmarking
Read more news
> Bahrain employment sector on road to recovery
> Drop in unemployment rate during second quarter of the year
> Illegal workers in Bahrain drops considerably
> Bahrain records growth in employment among nationals
> Bahrain issues 11,000 new work visas during Q1 2010
> Steel complex to offer 1800 new jobs
> Increase in GCC unemployment rate
> Bahrain unemployment rate narrows down
> Professionals unhappy over disparity in pay hikes and cost of living
> Bahrain financial sector employment rate indicates growth