MPs should support labourers: Human Rights Watch Society

Manama : A local human rights watchdog called upon Bahraini MPs not to “fetter” labourers in the country.

Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society (BHRWS) criticised a number of lawmakers in a recent statement which came in response to a controversial parliamentary proposal submitted by five MPs last week.

The proposal stipulated banning all sorts of labour strikes at Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) Factory, following the recent increase in the number of strikes reported at the facility.

When reviewed by the 40-member council during its weekly meeting last week, the proposal raised a wave of controversy among MPs, as many opposed to it, while others supported it.

Commenting on its official social media accounts, BHRWS criticised the proposal, describing it as “a violation of labourers rights”.

“What’s stranger than the crippling proposal is that two of its five presenters are members of the council’s Human Rights Committee,” the society’s statement mentioned.

Calling upon MPs to support labourers’ rights, the society stated, “The MPs should support Alba labourers, who have shown their loyalty to the Kingdom in previous situations and defended their country in local and international forums. Crippling them with a proposal that violates their right of protesting harms the reforms Bahrain is adopting.””

The society also criticised the National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) for not commenting on the matter.

Five MPs reportedly submitted the “urgent” proposal to ban protests and strikes at Alba, considering the facility as one of the Kingdom’s main economic pillars. 

One of the presenters, MP Nasser Al Qasseer, said, “Allowing Alba labourers to protest may paralyse the operation of the factory and cause losses of over BD3 billion.”

On the other hand, several MPs voiced out their concern regarding limiting labourers’ rights, while others called for including all major factories and companies in the proposal, instead of limiting to Alba labourers.

Additionally, a member of the Parliament’s Legal Authority explained that “the existing law bans protests and strikes at 12 vital facilities and Alba isn’t one of them”.       

It’s also worth mentioning that the claims of corruption and irregularities at the facility, made by Alba labourers union members, have emerged during the past two months.

In his response, Alba’s Board of Directors’ Chairman Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa pledged in statement issued on November 1 to “commence a thorough investigation into the allegations and take the necessary corrective actions where required”.

“Alba remains committed to the principles of corporate governance and will not tolerate any violations relating to the laws of the Kingdom of Bahrain nor rules and regulations within the Company. Any violation will be dealt with within the framework of the law,” the statement read.