MANAMA, 26 May 2004 — The Bahraini government yesterday revealed plans to address the problem of illegal workers including a three-star holding facility for them.

The plans center around inspections starting in the next two weeks of sites suspected of housing illegal workers.

At a meeting of top officials from the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and the Interior Ministry, the assistant undersecretary for labor affairs Sadiq Al-Shehabi revealed plans to track down “runaway” workers.

“We have no exact figures of the number of people working illegally here but I would say there are more then 20,000,” he said.

But businessmen put the figure at nearer 50,000.

“The aim of this joint effort with the Ministry of the Interior is to address this problem after we received complaints from industry and the public sector,”

“The campaign will not have a negative impact on the national economy or the business sector,” he said.

“The aim is to eliminate” the problem of illegal workers “and bring about justice to those affected.”

Al-Shehabi said a holding center was set up in Hidd with a capacity to accommodate 50 people while legal procedures against them get under way.

Head of legal affairs at the Ministry of Interior Lieutenant Colonel Ali Fadel Al-BuAineen said holding the illegal workers did not constitute arrest and they were guaranteed their legal rights.

“We will investigate each and every case and those stopped will have the right to contact their embassies and if they have on-going court cases they will be able to authorize their embassy to act on their behalf when they are deported to have any financial rights returned to them,” he said.

“They will have three meals provided to them, and the facility is air-conditioned and fully equipped with entertainment and recreational facilities.”

Al-BuAineen said the workers’ nominal sponsor would be billed for the costs.

However, businessmen and contractors are unhappy with the ministries’ efforts

“The ministry met with us six months ago and a committee was set up between them and the Contractors Society. There should have been meetings every two weeks on the orders of the minister, but since then none have occurred,” Waheed Ali Yousif Saleh from the society said.

Waheed added that the society plans a protest in front of the ministry on Sunday if no serious steps are taken to address the matter.