intervention by parliament chairman Khalifa Al Dhahrani failed to bring an end to the strike yesterday.
He held an urgent meeting with Fishermen’s Protection Society and urged members to return to work while their demands are studied.

But society secretary-general Abdulameer Al Mughani said it would take more than just words to persuade them to call off the strike.

He said it could be halted temporarily – but only if MPs succeed in their bid to exempt fishermen from paying a BD10 monthly fee for each expat employee.

“We thanked Mr Al Dhahrani for his attempt, but we told him that the fishermen need a move towards meeting their demands so they can feel at ease,” he said following the meeting.

“If the MPs at least hurry up and implement excluding them (fishermen) from paying the monthly fee for their foreign workers, they might halt their strike.”

Mr Al Dhahrani hoped to reason with the society in an effort to get fish back on the menu.

“The fishermen have presented their demands to Municipalities and Agriculture Minister Dr Juma Al Ka’abi,” he said.

“I asked them to present a copy to me so I can follow it and try to get urgent solutions to some of them.”

He claimed that ending the strike could actually help fishermen’s cause.

l Parliament yesterday called on the government to reconsider LMRA fees imposed on fishermen as well as non-renewal and refusal of new visas.

It also urged fishermen to return to work and resume selling fish to local market.