MANAMA: Bahraini officials have announced a zero-tolerance policy concerning the transportation of workers in open trucks and will enforce a ban on such transportation from Jan. 1.
Majeed Mohsen Al-Alawi, minister of labor, said the government was reviewing the law that aims to improve the living and working conditions of laborers in the country. He made the announcement at the recently-concluded conference organized by the Arab Labor Organization and hosted by Bahrain’s Ministry of Labor.
According to the proposed plan, which will be implemented by the Labor Ministry’s General Directorate of Traffic, companies and private vehicles carrying workers in open trucks would be subject to penalties ranging from fines to losing commercial registration.
A Labor Ministry official said 33 work-related accidents took place during the first quarter of the year that claimed eight lives. Human rights activists have been calling for the safe transportation of laborers and urged the government to take steps to correct the situation. They say the practice violates the Ministry of Labor’s Occupational Hazards and Safety code.
But there has been strong resentment from the business community here regarding the transportation of workers as they say replacing the existing vehicles would be a financial burden costing about one billion Bahraini dinars.
