Calls to Axe Firms Exploiting Security Staff Win MP Support

MPs unanimously approved an urgent proposal on Tuesday calling on the government to review and, where needed, end contracts with private security and guarding companies working in government bodies if they are found to be breaching contract terms or failing to respect employees’ rights.

Under the move, ministries and state agencies are to be urged to go back over their agreements with private security providers, stop dealing with firms that do not meet contractual and legal obligations, and replace them with companies that meet national standards for security services, respect workers’ rights and deliver the level of service required in public institutions. The main proposer, MP Hamad Al Doy, said: ‘Security guards stand on the front line of our ministries and agencies every day, and they are entitled to contracts that are honoured and basic rights that are not chipped away.’

According to the explanatory memorandum, security and guarding companies are treated as part of the occupational safety system in state institutions, acting as the first line of protection for buildings, managing movement on site and helping daily work proceed in an orderly and safe way.

The document notes that, in recent years, the competent authorities have received numerous complaints from security staff stationed across ministries and government bodies. These grievances range from failure to honour the terms of contracts signed with government entities to alleged exploitation of employees through late payment of wages, refusal to respect agreed working hours, denial of leave entitlements, lack of insurance and unsafe working conditions.

During the debate, MP Hanan Fardan said some companies were misusing Bahrainisation rules by hiring Bahrainis on paper to raise their quotas without giving them real work. She told the chamber that such firms ‘have people sign contracts, register them with social insurance and then keep them waiting for a uniform that never arrives, asking them to wait a bit longer each time until they either give up or risk losing the job altogether’, adding that these practices targeted ‘simple Bahrainis’ and needed a firm response.

Al Doy referred to cases where companies have not provided a sufficient number of guards or proper training for staff, raising doubts about the level of protection at some facilities. He further said that some firms have ignored legal requirements laid down in national regulations that govern the work of security and guarding companies.

According to Al Doy, one of the main aims of the approved proposal is to protect public funds by ensuring that companies abide by their contractual obligations and deliver the service for which they are being paid. Another stated aim is to defend the rights of security and guarding employees, some of whom have faced poor treatment and workplace abuses.

The measure also seeks to raise security and safety standards across government sites and to strengthen supervision of private providers, including the use of penalties against companies that break the rules. The memorandum says the ultimate goal is to ensure that contracts are concluded only with committed, professional security firms that help improve the overall quality of services in government institutions.

The urgent proposal was submitted by MPs Hamad Al Doy, Abdulwahid Qarata, Bader Al Tamimi, Hassan Ibrahim and Abdulla Al Dhaen.