Summer Work Ban Concludes Successfully

Manama

The two-month-long summer work ban has successfully come to an end, a Labour Ministry official confirmed.

 Undersecretary Sabah Al Dossary told DT News that 98.3 per cent of establishments in Bahrain were committed to the decision.

 “This result was proven after ministry officials paid 13915 field visits to different worksites in the Kingdom,” he informed.

 Apparently, 230 fines were issued against companies in the private sector, after identifying 548 violating labourers.

 This comes as per the instructions mentioned in the ministerial order 3/2013 prohibiting labour from 12 noon to 4 PM during the months of July and August, considering the increasing temperatures.

  Al Dossary praised the committed employers and establishments of the private sector, stating “the decision has more humanitarian sides to it than being an obligatory decree.”

 “By monitoring the performance of firms and establishments in the private sector that have committed to the decision, we noticed a remarkable increase in their profits and productivity,” Al Dossary added.

 According to an earlier statement by the ministry, the ministerial order, which is commonly known as “summer work ban”, aims to protect labourers working in construction sites and open places from the risk of sunstroke and heat exhaustion.

 “The application of the law accentuates Bahrain's commitment to the protection of labour and preserving their rights and safety in workplaces.  Those who violate the law will be held accountable and will be subjected to penalties of no more than three months of imprisonment or fines between BD500 and BD1000,” the ministry affirmed.