By SOMAN BABY

A NATIONWIDE inspection of workplaces was started yesterday by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) to ensure all expats are legally employed. Seventy LMRA inspectors, using hi-tech equipment, are inspecting work places to eliminate any illegal practices in the labour market, said officials.

The campaign marks the new role assumed by the LMRA yesterday to issue work visas for all expatriates, said Labour Minister and LMRA board chairman Dr Majeed Al Alawi.

The LMRA took over this responsibility from the Labour Ministry.

“This marks a new era of close relationship between employers and various government bodies,” Dr Al Alawi told a Press conference at the LMRA headquarters in Sanabis.

“The LMRA has joined hands with the Labour Ministry and other government organisations like the Interior Ministry (General Directorate of Nationality, Passports and Residence), Health Ministry and the Central Informatics Organisation to ensure the success of processing expats’ work visas.”

“Through the amnesty, which lasted several months, the government gave ample time for all illegal expats to either leave the country without paying penalties or to legalise their stay.

“The LMRA has been established as part of the reforms in Bahrain to regulate the labour market.

“The employers have no more excuses for employing people illegally. The employees have also no right to stay in the country illegally now.

“We have therefore launched a new inspection campaign. Seventy LMRA inspectors have started inspecting work places.”

Dr Al Alawi said the LMRA inspectors have the right to enter places of work during working hours, by day or night as the case may be.

“They should be provided with all necessary information and documents without any obstructions to their work,” he added.

“To employ a foreign worker without a valid licence issued by LMRA is illegal. Such employers face an imprisonment of at least three months and not exceeding one year, plus a fine not less than BD1,000 and not more than BD2,000 or either of the two.” The number of penalties is reciprocal to the number of the workers involved.

The illegal workers caught in the campaign will be deported.

Among the inspectors are lawyers and other professionally qualified people who have undergone extensive training at LMRA on how to carry out inspections at work places.

“They will carry out inspections in small groups, which will also include representatives of the Ministries of Interior, Labour and Industry and Commerce,” said LMRA chief executive Ali Radhi.

“Hi-tech methods are being used for inspection such as M-Cad, a portable equipment, used to capture the fingerprints of workers.

“The equipment is linked to the LMRA databank, and the status of the worker inspected will therefore be shown on the screen.

The LMRA rules will be applied to prosecute all companies that flout the rules, said Mr Radhi.

“Our inspectors will not stop anyone on roads and public places to check their credentials,” he added.

“Inspection of labour camps is also not within the jurisdiction of our inspectors. That work is carried out by the Labour Ministry inspectors.”

Mr Radhi said only those companies which have cleansed the data of their workers with LMRA are eligible to apply for new work visas or renewal of visas.

“Only 140,000 workers’ data have been cleansed so far. This constitutes only 22 to 25 per cent of the total expats,” he added.

LMRA board vice-chairman Farouk Almoayyed said some companies, which were issued work permits by the Labour Ministry in the past, are not functioning now.

The Industry and Commerce Ministry has undertaken a campaign to assess how many commercial registrations (CRs) are active, he noted.

The Press conference was also attended by Central Informatics Organisation (CIO) president Mohammed Al Amer, General Federation of Workers Trade Union representatives Karim Radhi and Abdulla Hussain, Labour Ministry assistant under-secretary for labour Jameel Humaidan, and LMRA board member Dr Khalid Abdulla.