Bahrain Mirror: The local Bahraini Akhbar Al-Khaleej newspaper that has close ties with the Prime Minister said that hundreds of Bahrainis working in the banking sector have lost their jobs in the past few months due to the international economic situation.

The bankers' trade union said in a statement in the Gulf Daily News that many complaints have been filed by Bahraini citizens and residents who confirmed that they were dismissed due to restructuring operations by foreign banks.

Aziz Ahmadi, chairman of Bahrain Bankers Trade Union, demanded the government to interfere in order to prevent further job dismissals in the future and said that "based on information from employees who have lost their jobs, the dismissals are ongoing and increasing. Hundreds of Bahrainis and expatriates in this sector have been effected."

He further stated that officials of foreign banks are denying these reports, but the reality is that some foreign banks are moving their operations outside Bahrain or are dismissing employees within the framework of restructuring. Ahmadi also said that some employees are afraid to inform the trade union about the cases of dismissals, while others accept the dismissal settlement agreements without seeking legal consultation.

Arabic Version