New fee blow!

FISHERMEN already on the verge of financial ruin have been hit by a new insurance fee for Indian workers.

The Indian Embassy has introduced a BD950 fee per expatriate which sponsors have to pay into an Indian bank account before they come to Bahrain.

Fishermen are due to raise the issue with Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa during a meeting today.

They say the fee will be a major burden, costing them hundreds of thousands of dinars. Continue reading

Strike threat

By BASMA MOHAMMED

BAHRAIN’S fishermen yesterday threatened a new wave of demonstrations followed by strike action unless they get government support.

Bahraini fishermen want full exemption from the BD10-a-month levy per expatriate worker because they claim they can only find foreign crewmen.

They also want financial compensation for lost earnings, in an industry they say has been decimated by land reclamation and declining catches.

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