The Strikes  of Foreign workers
  Beginning of Great Challenges
 
 
 
 New phenomena  of strikes by the foreign  workers in the private sector , especially in construction  emerged and spreaded, demanding increase in  the wages and improvement of working and housing conditions.
 
The Labor Office of The National democratic Action Society (LO_NDAS) asserts the following:
 
1-The strikes by Bahraini or foreign labor force is eminent in view of the non increase of  wages at both the public and private sector, while the inflation is rampant, and the absence of well by the private sector to improve the deteriorated working and living conditions. The extent of abuses of expatriate workers rights , is clear in unjust industrial relations, weak wages, and  crowded unhealthy compounds, lacking the minimum decent living, contrary to human and Islamic values
 
2-The great dependency on foreign labor dominating the market, and unprecedented numbers of free visa ( roaming ) workers  up to (40000) ,poses danger to the future of our country, thus business sector and the government should bear responsibility in  minimizing it and to adopt Bahrainization instead of search for new sources of foreign labor.
 
3-Globalization and  Bahrain commitments to WTO membership imposes open labor market, and affiliated labor to transnational companies will complicate the local labor market more due to competition and decreased employment opportunities. The pressure of the international organizations and ILO for ratifying international convention on migrant workers and families , that stipulate equal rights  of education, medication , housing , social security and cultural rights for local and foreign   (including illegal )workers , requires diminishing foreign workers to no more than 15% , of the total labor force which is the international norm
 
4-Dependency on cheap and unskilled labor force will deteriorate the demographic situation, and endanger the national identity, while the alternative is to resort to skilled workers of added value, who will contribute to economic development with social dimension
 
 
 
The LO-NDAS calls upon the government and business sector to implemnet the followings;
 
Fully cooperate with the social partner in production and development , The General Federation of Bahraini Trade Unions (GFBTU), in establishing recognized  legal
 
 
 
 bases  leading to increase of wages , and incentives and improvement of work conditions , safety and vocational health.
 
 
 
2- Amending the economic policies , and reexamining t5he privatization programs , taking into consideration to social dimension, increased unemployment, increased job seekers of new graduates , and serious evaluation of the added value of the current investment to local workers and waged citizens.
 
3- Complete transparency, prevention of  corruption towards the local labor force , thus availing true data, so as to enable decision makers of taking the right decision
 
4-Equal rights for all workers without discrimination  according to The Labor Law in The Private Sector, and increase in wages to keep pace with high cost of living and inflation, and to avail decent housing and safe working conditions for the expatriate workers
 
 
 
LO-NDAS , Bahrain 13Feb.2008