Parliament considers easing rules that tie employees to a single job and location

TDT | Manama

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

Foreign employees, according to LMRA, should work at the location and in the job stated on their work permits.

But that rule may not stay for long.

Soon, employers could be allowed to rotate foreign staff between their outlets, as long as the work is of a similar nature.

The change comes through an amendment tabled before Parliament, up for debate this Tuesday. The Services Committee has urged lawmakers to ease the rules that currently tie each worker to a single job at a single workplace.

The proposal was first put forward by MPs Mohammed Al Ma’arafi, Ahmed Al Salloom, Abdulla Al Dhaen, Basema Mubarak, and Mamdouh Al Saleh.

Under Act 19 of 2006 on the regulation of the labour market and Decision 76 of 2008 on foreign work permits, employers must apply to the Labour Market Regulatory Authority for each foreign worker. The worker is then tied to the job and location on the permit, limiting them in practice to one task at one place.

MP Al Ma’arafi says this system holds back growth for startups and small to medium-sized firms with multiple branches. Allowing rotation would give employers more flexibility, help new projects grow, and make better use of foreign workers’ skills and experience.

Talks between the Services Committee and the MPs led to an amended version. The new wording limits rotations to work of a homogeneous nature in establishments and branches owned by the same employer, provided their commercial activities do not differ. The aim is to stay within the limits of Act 19 of 2006 and its related regulations.

The Labour Ministry backed partial approval, in line with LMRA’s view. LMRA said keeping workers tied to the jobs listed on their permits is central to labour market regulation and the purpose of Act 19. It rejected giving employers absolute freedom to move foreign workers across all jobs and establishments, saying this would violate the law. Instead, employers may rotate workers only within roles of the same nature, in their own branches, without breaching permit terms or regulatory obligations.

The Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry supports the proposal. Chairman Samir Abdulla Nass said allowing rotation across branches and activities would strengthen the labour market and benefit the Kingdom’s economy. The General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions, however, opposed the move, warning that some employers could mis use transfers to punish staff under the guise of permit flexibility.