HUNDREDS of Bahraini fishermen yesterday staged a protest over a BD10 monthly fee imposed by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) for each expatriate worker.<\/p>\n
It was organised by the Fishermen’s Protection Society at its premises in Muharraq.<\/p>\n
Fishermen protested against the monthly fee, saying they cannot afford to pay it and it should be lifted.<\/p>\n
They called on the country’s leadership to intervene following a string of similar protests.<\/p>\n
“We are not investment companies, we barely make it through to support our families,” said society president Jassim Al Jeran.<\/p>\n
“Most food supplies in Bahrain are subsidised by the government, why not do the same with seafood such as fish. We need support.”<\/p>\n
Mr Al Jeran said that fishermen should also be compensated when fishing is banned during the breeding season so their income is not affected.<\/p>\n
“Shrimp catchers especially suffer when the four-month ban is implemented every year from March 15 to July 15. Their income suffers because of this and therefore they should be compensated,” he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Al Jeran said that fishermen would hold a nation-wide strike within two weeks if their demands to be exempted from the fees were not met.<\/p>\n
This is the fourth demonstration organised by the society in Muharraq.<\/p>\n
The first demonstration was broken up by police on June 1, but 60 fishing dhows and 35 small fishing boats stayed in port during a subsequent strike.<\/p>\n
On June 18, fishermen demonstrated in front of the society’s premises in Muharraq.<\/p>\n
The third protest was held on August 31, when more than 170 fishermen and their supporters demonstrated outside the society’s premises. Similar protests have been held in the Seef district.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
HUNDREDS of Bahraini fishermen yesterday staged a protest over a BD10 monthly fee imposed by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) for each expatriate worker. It was organised by the Fishermen’s Protection Society at its premises in Muharraq.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[183,389],"yoast_head":"\n