Tamkeen urged to cover full wages for Bahraini employees of war-affected SMEs

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

An urgent proposal has been put before Parliament calling for Tamkeen to pay the full wages of Bahraini staff at small and medium-sized firms hit by the war and the attacks on Bahrain.

MP Hassan Bukhammas, chairman of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security Committee, wants the government to direct the Labour Fund to launch an emergency support scheme for a fixed spell, or until the fallout from the war has passed.

He said the call came as the region faces “exceptional circumstances” from the ongoing war and “the criminal Iranian attacks that targeted the Kingdom of Bahrain”, with the effects feeding into the local market and weighing on many smaller firms.

Pillar

Bukhammas said such businesses are “a basic pillar of the economy” and one of the main homes of Bahraini workers.

Keeping them on their feet, he said, and stopping them from falling into trouble or shedding local staff, is now “a strategic, economic and security necessity”, especially as supply chains are shaken and running costs climb.

He said the proposal aims to keep salaries reaching Bahrainis in the private sector “without interruption or delay”, while easing the load on owners of small and medium-sized firms so they can face the slowdown brought on by the current conditions.

Bukhammas said the move would also help keep money moving in the home market and avoid closures or bankruptcies among smaller businesses.

Action

He described fast action through Tamkeen, by way of an emergency support scheme, as “a necessary step” to keep Bahraini workers secure and shield firms from financial strain caused by the regional climate.

Such a move, he said, would help build trust in the economy and keep business activity going across many fields.

Bukhammas said the urgent nature of the proposal stems from “the pressing need to protect the stability of the Bahraini family from the effects of regional crises”.

Shocks

He added that small and medium-sized private firms are the most exposed to economic shocks, which calls for immediate action to keep their work going and stop job losses or financial strain from hitting many Bahraini businesses.

The lawmaker said an emergency Tamkeen scheme to cover the wages of Bahrainis working in small and medium-sized firms would be “an economic and social safety valve at this stage” and would help protect the labour market while giving Bahrain’s economy a better chance of getting through the current strain.