Bahrain Mirror: The General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions doubted the success of the "Parallel Bahrainisation System" after the government abolished the "contracting system".

The Secretary-General of the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions (GFBTU) Hasan Al-Halwachi said that "the union doubts the success of this approach in achieving Bahrainisation", adding that "Bahrainis have not become the best choice yet as Bahraini workers made up only 21% of the workforce according to the 2015 last quarter report." Al-Halwachi further stated that "there are more than 7,000 cases of arbitrary dismissals in the past six years; i.e. 1,180 cases annually, with a rate of 100 cases of arbitrary dismissals per month in the private sector, according to the Minister of Labour."

In the speech he delivered on the Labour Day, Al-Halwachi expressed his regret for not being granted a permit to organize a workers' protest, highlighting that "the Bahraini authorities refused for the second consecutive year to grant a permit for staging a Labor Day demonstration on May 1, although the protest that was held in 2002 was characterized with organization and discipline," demanding allowing freedom of all means of expression in order to tackle the sufferings of workers and trade unions.

Arabic Version