THE Philippine Embassy is planning to soon launch its second mass repatriation programme. The move is part of its ongoing effort to keep a check on undocumented workers or those without proper paperwork.It is negotiating with all stakeholders, mainly employers and companies, to co-operate regarding the repatriation process, an embassy spokesman told the GDN. Continue reading
Ordeal finally over
Bonny Mascarenhas
The plight of ten Indian workers who were mistreated by their employer is finally over after their sponsor handed over their passports yesterday and tickets home.Their salaries, which allegedly have not been paid in over four months, have not yet been settled, however the workers have signed over power of attorney to an advocate to ensure they receive their dues at a later date Nirmal Kumar Chawdhary Continue reading
Sri Lankan officials join Easy Exit push
Bonny Mascarenhas
Efforts to increase awareness of the Easy Exit scheme are being extended to the Sri Lankan community in the Kingdom. Honorary Consul-General P.B. Higgoda told the Bahrain Tribune yesterday that billboards are to be set up across the Kingdom to inform Sri Lankans of the scheme. Continue reading
Other side of the coin
Business owners in Bahrain feel vindicated and they face problems with contradictory laws seemingly passed every day.They feel they are harassed, blackmailed and ill treated by authorities. It sounds a bit absurd as we expatriates are always at the receiving end when it comes to harassment, blackmailing and ill treatment. Continue reading
1,000 illegal workers held
More than 1,000 illegal workers have been tracked down by authorities in the first half of this year, it emerged yesterday. A total of 536 expats were caught working for 329 Bahraini employers without proper documents by Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) inspectors. Continue reading
Bahrain’s jobs market recovering
BAHRAIN’s jobs market is showing signs of recovery with employment among Bahrainis rising for the first time in months. Latest government figures show a one per cent growth in employed Bahrainis at the end of the second quarter, taking the total number to 139,347. Continue reading
Hundreds of illegal expatriates arrested
Inspection raids aimed at reducing the number of expatriates working illegally in Bahrain have netted 1,416 people in the first six months of this year.Nearly 6,000 inspection raids were conducted by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) alone in the first half of 2010 which resulted in 329 employers being sanctioned for hiring expatriates without valid work visas. Continue reading
Illegal expat’s ordeal ends
Bonny Mascarenhas
It was a joy that words couldn’t express. Jose Adakkapadan Devassy, a 58-year-old Indian repatriated earlier this month, struggled for words as he thanked personnel at the General Directorate of Nationality,Passport and Residence (GDNPR) for helping him return home. Continue reading
Number of illegal workers drops to 34,000
The number of illegal workers in the Kingdom has fallen to 34,000 as a result of the various measures being taken by the authorities to combat this phenomenon. Continue reading
Last group of mistreated workers heads home
Bonny Mascarenhas
A group of 23 workers who were mistreated by their employer left the Kingdom yesterday aboard a Gulf Air flight. The workers formed part of a larger group of 113 men, most of whom have now returned home. Continue reading