A NEW decision to allow construction companies to employ more expatriates will help cut down the number of illegal workers in Bahrain, says a leading contractor.

The decision has been taken by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA), changing the cap with regard to the number of expatriates who can be employed by the contractors according to their grades.

According to the new rule, the number of expats for Grade 3 contractors has been increased from 15 to 20, and for Grade 2 from 50 to 100. The number is unlimited for Grade 1.

This is a welcome decision, which will make the functioning of the construction industry more efficient, said Bahrain Contractors Society president Nedham Kameshki.

He said the LMRA rules on Bahrainisation target were also realistic.

Small companies employing one to nine expatriates need not hire any Bahraini.

Those employing nine to 499 expat workers should have eight per cent Bahrainisation.

The Bahrainisation target has been set at five per cent for companies employing 500 or more workers.

“We are happy with the co-operation we have received from the LMRA,” said Mr Kameshki.

“We also welcome their move to clean up the labour market by stamping out certain illegal practices.

“The decision will help cut down the number of the so-called free visa workers in the country.

“When the government severely restricted the number of expats who can be employed by contractors, they resorted to hiring free visa workers.

“The new move will, therefore, help solve the problem of shortage of construction workers and the tendency of some contractors to hire illegal workers,” said Mr Kameshki.

Some Bahraini employers have been tarnishing the image of the contracting community by hiring runaway workers to save costs and LMRA fees, he said.

“We urge the LMRA to step up its inspection campaigns to identify such culprits and prosecute them,” said Mr Kameshki.

“No figures are available on the number of illegal workers still living in the country.”

Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) contractors committee chairman Samir Nass also welcomed LMRA’s new move.

“In fact, it is an old law, which experienced a delay in implementation during the transfer of responsibilities from the Labour Ministry to LMRA,” he added.

“We also urge the contractors to follow the rules and hire only those actually required for the job.

“We are also happy that the LMRA has moved in to stop the practice of some people recruiting expat workers under fictitious commercial registration (CR) and dumping them in the market.”

About the future of the construction sector, which is also hit by the current economic recession, Mr Nass said he was closely watching the situation.

“We hope to get a clear picture within three to four months,” he added. soman@gdn.com.bh.