We have been forced to sign a letter as follows:

“The employee shall not at any time for a period of one year after leaving the … company, without written approval seeking or obtaining employment or be directly or indirectly involved in any business or company or individual that competes directly or indirectly with the business of …company with the Kingdom of Bahrain.”

Please tell us whether this is a valid legal letter which should be signed by the employees as per the labour law in Bahrain and if we don’t sign, what action can the company take or if not legal, where should we complain? Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) or Labour Ministry? We are registered with the LMRA.

A reader

* LABOUR Ministry Legal Advisor Dr Abdulbasit Abdulmuhsin said: “According to the Civil Law, Article 629, for the purpose of protecting their business, and if the positions carried on by the employees enable them to know sensible/crucial information about the company, the employer can make a written agreement with the employees forbidding them from working with competing companies for:

* A limited period of time

* In specified places (companies, areas or towns) and not the whole country.”