By Soman Baby

EMPLOYERS in Bahrain have so far reported runaway cases involving 2,000 expatriates to the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA), it was revealed yesterday. The LMRA had earlier urged employers to report all runaway cases before June 30 to avoid fees and legal liability.

Employers who have already reported runaway cases to the Labour Ministry should also take a copy of the report to the LMRA to ensure that its database is accurate, said LMRA e-services and public relations manager Waheed Al Balushi.

“We have so far received reports of 2,000 runaway workers,” he told the GDN.

“In fact, we do not want to officially call them runaway workers. We want to say that they are absent from work.

“The employers should confirm to LMRA all the previous reports registered with the Labour Ministry, in order to exclude such workers from the payment of the monthly fees, which shall be imposed on foreign workers from July 1.

“However, notifying the LMRA will not relieve employers from their obligations to meet the cost of workers’ repatriation, to the destinations specified in the employment contract, or to their native home,” said Mr Al Balushi.

“We want to be fair to both parties. If we have contact numbers of the so-called runaway workers, they will be asked to report to us within one month and clarify their position,” he said.

“Also, those workers who suspect that their employers have branded them as runaway should visit our website – www.lmra.bh – and check their status by entering their CPR number in the e-services

section.

“If their status does not reflect the correct situation, they can register a complaint with LMRA after July 1,” he advised.

Mr Al Balushi appealed to employers or their authorised representatives to visit the LMRA headquarters at Sanabis during business hours, to report all workers who have absconded.

Employees who have disputes with their employers are also urged to report to the LMRA.

Meanwhile, the number of expatriates registered at the LMRA’s enrollment festival reached 91,669 on Saturday night.

These include 45,676 Indians, 24,363 Bangladeshis, 7,632 Pakistanis, 3,756 Filipinos, 2,641 Nepalese, 1,137 Sri Lankans and 6,464 others.