Deadline stays

TDT | Manama

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

Shura legislators have thrown out a proposed 30-day grace period for renewing work permits, after their Services Committee ruled that employers are already protected under a new decree and warned that such a legal buffer could swell the ranks of irregular workers.

Yesterday the council endorsed the committee’s recommendation not to approve, in principle, a bill to amend Article (26) of Law No. (19) of 2006 on the Regulation of the Labour Market.

The bill had been drafted in light of a proposal from the Council of Representatives and has now been sent back to the Speaker of the lower house to notify the government of the decision, in line with Parliament’s own stance.

According to the explanatory memorandum of the Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission, the bill was meant to grant employers a grace period to renew work permits so that the penalty set out in Article (36) of the Labour Market Regulation Law is not imposed as soon as a permit expires.

It was also framed as a way to reduce lawsuits brought by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) against employers before the courts and to avoid any interruption to the activity of businesses.

Review

His Excellency Acting Labour Minister Yousef Khalaf said the government “constantly reviews existing legislation, especially when comments arise from any party that a particular provision is no longer serving its purpose or achieving the goal behind it”.

He explained that, with regard to the settlement article in the Labour Market Regulation Law, LMRA had carried out an in-depth study and examined dozens of options in consultation with all stakeholders, especially those dealing directly with the authority.

The Acting Labour Minister added that the amendment issued by decree-law was “more comprehensive and clearer”, as it did not simply grant a grace period but was designed to give the worker the opportunity to enter into a settlement, while introducing a sliding scale for settlement amounts from one to 10 days, and from 10 to 30 days.

This flexibility in the law, he said, delivers “effective oversight and fairness in enforcement”.

Penalties

Committee rapporteur Dr Ebtesam Al Dallal said the proposal centred on giving employers extra time to renew permits to avoid these penalties, cut the volume of court cases and protect business continuity.

However, she stressed that the aims of the bill have already been achieved following the issuance of Decree-Law No. (12) of 2024, which amended Article (40) of the Labour Market Regulation Law.

Al Dallal explained that LMRA has put in place an effective system of early reminders and alerts on work permit expiry, sent in stages and in good time, in a way that takes employers’ interests into account and makes it easier for them to meet their obligations.

Argument

In light of that, she argued, there is no need to write a new legal grace period into the law.

She added that current legislation already allows employers to apply to re-issue a permit before it expires, which keeps the employment relationship in place without breaching the rules or adding extra burdens on either side.

By contrast, she warned, the proposed wording could lead to an increase in irregular workers.

Stillborn

Second Deputy Chairwoman of the Shura Council Dr Jehad Al Fadhel described the legislative amendment as “stillborn”, noting that the MPs who originally submitted the proposal were the same ones who later rejected it.

She said that legislation governing the labour market is built on a philosophy of rights and duties, with careful ordering of obligations and attention to all parties concerned, “and therefore there is no room for any loss of rights”.

Shura Council member Dr Adel Al Maawda stressed that “the shared concern of everyone is to increase job opportunities for citizens”, which, he said, requires clear and flexible legislation that supports an investment-friendly climate.