MPs Seek Jobless Pay for Workers Who Quit
Quitting a job would no longer shut workers out of unemployment pay when they had a legitimate reason for leaving, under a proposal lodged in Parliament by five MPs.
The plan would rewrite two parts of Article 10 of Bahrain’s unemployment insurance law, easing the bar on workers who resign and changing the test applied when someone is dismissed on disciplinary grounds.
The law now bars an insured worker from compensation if they leave work of their own free will. The MPs want that changed so the bar applies only when it is proved that the worker resigned without a legitimate reason.
‘An insured worker should not be denied compensation merely because they left work of their own free will when that departure was based on a legitimate reason.’ MP Mohsen Al Asbool said
He said a worker could choose to leave a job yet still have a sound reason for doing so and remain in need of unemployment cover.
The second change goes after another blanket bar in Article 10. At present, dismissal for disciplinary reasons can block a claim.
The MPs want the focus moved to what the worker actually did.
Under their wording, compensation would be withheld only if it is proved that the worker deliberately, or through gross fault, caused the employment relationship to end.
Mr Al Asbool said: ‘Compensation should be denied only if it is proved that the worker deliberately, or through gross fault, caused the employment relationship to end.’
The proposal was signed by Mohsen Al Asbool, Dr Hisham Al Ashiri, Dr Ali Al Nuaimi, Jalila Alawi, and Abdulwahid Qarata.
The MPs argue that a disciplinary label alone should not be enough to strip a worker of unemployment pay. Their wording would require proof of the conduct that led to the loss of the job.
They also say the change would draw a clearer line between someone who quits without good cause and a worker who has a lawful reason to leave.
The rest of Article 10 would stay unchanged. Claimants would still have to be able and willing to work, seek a job, follow Labour Ministry instructions and attend training when required.
The proposal seeks to amend Decree-Law No. 78 of 2006 on unemployment insurance and has been submitted to Parliament for review.
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