MANAMA: Bahraini businessmen are calling on the authorities to postpone a decision banning the transportation of workers in open trucks, according to the Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society (BHRWS).
The BHRWS claims employers are putting pressure on the government to delay the decision to buy more time in order to maximize their profits and evade payment to improve their infrastructure.
“We have been waiting for over two years for the government to ban the transportation of workers in open trucks. The lives and safety of workers ... is more important than profits,” said Faisal Fulad, secretary-general of the BHRWS.
The society runs Al-Doy Trade Union Rights Center, which recently published Ministry of Interior statistics stating that four people were killed and 117 injured last year in road accidents involving open trucks.
The open trucks ban became effective on Jan. 1. Violators could face a six-month jail sentence and a fine, or both. The General Directorate of Traffic has also started to come down heavily on drivers who transport workers in open vehicles. The ban, which was announced in mid-2008, was part of Bahrain’s obligation to adhere to international treaties on labor and human rights.
Businessmen estimate the cost of providing air-conditioned buses to transport workers would cost millions, something they claim is impractical and would affect productivity.
The BHRWS is now calling on citizens to note down registration numbers of vehicles that transport workers in open trucks and inform the police. “If there are complaints filed, then action should be taken by the authorities. No such vehicle should be seen on Bahraini roads and this is what we want,” Fulad said.
