By Sandeep Singh Grewal

MIGRANT workers will soon receive a complete guide compiled in their native languages on Bahrain’s labour laws and regulations in a bid to prevent exploitation. The multilingual employee guide will also create awareness among labourers coming to Bahrain, who are mostly illiterate.

It follows directives by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) officials, who met labour welfare officials from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Turkey yesterday.

“Labour and community officers were handed out a guide format that states Bahrain laws, which will be translated by the embassies and later cleared by authorities for issuance,” said Pakistan Embassy’s counsellor community welfare officer Maqsood Qadir Shah.

“The guide will consist of translated documents in different languages stipulating workers’ rights.”

It will include details of workers’ rights, job contracts and emergency numbers.

Embassy officials are expected to translate the guidelines and submit them in two weeks.

“It will be available at the airports of country of origin and at Bahrain International Airport,” added Mr Shah.

During the meeting, LMRA officials also revealed they would allow foreign embassies access to some of its labour services.

Mr Shah said providing diplomats with such services would give them updated statistics of skilled and semi-skilled workers in Bahrain.

“It would also help LMRA update its Expat Management System database, as they have complained that foreign workers do not contact or visit them if they change their cell phone number or residential address,” he added.